Ceramic Bearings Vs Steel

Ceramic bearings are in actual fact hybrid.

Ceramic bearings vs steel.

Ceramic bearings vs steel bearings ceramic materials offer superior corrosion and heat resistance higher dimensional stability and lower density which facilitates high speed. The different elements balls retainers and closures can change a bit. The concept behind a bearing is simple. They use ceramic balls and usually a steel inner and outer race.

The first thing that strikes the eye when looking at bicycle bearings is the difference in price between steel bearings and hybrid ceramic bearings. A ceramic bearing is also harder than steel bearings up to 30 which improves durability and they also don t rust so less maintenance should be required. Steel bearings are commodity items that are composed of hardened steel balls and a steel inner and outer race. It takes weeks for a kogel ball to sit in a tumbler and be perfectly polished.

The ceramic balls are often silicon nitride or equivalent. This is mostly due to the additional time spent to perfect a quality ceramic ball. Most sealed ceramic bearings are actually hybrid ceramic bearings which combine a steel race with ceramic ball bearings. Optimization is possible for the disparity that exists between these parts.

While a formula 1 engine revving to 15 000 rpm can create a lot of heat that can deform and swell steel bearings. Ceramic bearings exist to help manage heat in high rpm applications. Five different parts go into building skateboard bearings and longboard bearings.