How to Estimate The Life of Miniature Bearings 2020 [Right Now]

“Life” is the number of hours that a percentage of similar miniature bearings have survived under an essentially identical set of operating conditions and loads.  A number of factors including loads, speed, lubrication, fit, maintenance, temperature, contamination, and others can affect the bearing life.

What is  the life of miniature bearings

People defined bearing life as the length of time (number of revolutions) until a specific failure occurs. Predicting the life of a ball bearing is a statistical calculation of the fatigue properties of the various bearing components.

Fatigue Life (L10 or Rating Life) of bearings is the number of hours or revolutions reached by 90% of a group of bearings subjected to the same loads before the onset of fatigue.  Conversely, people can expect 10% of the same group of bearings to show evidence of fatigue before it reaches L10 Life         

What affects bearing life

Many variables can impact bearing life.  Various factors such as handling and contamination damage can dramatically reduce bearing life.  People should store, mount, dismount and inspect properly. Optimized performance and life are also contingent on appropriate lubrication and sufficient protection from foreign matter.  Store bearings in a cool, clean, low humidity environment free of dust, shocks, and vibrations.  Proper fitting, using specialized tools and techniques, will also help maximize bearing life. 

All in all, miniature bearing failure: dust, dirt, debris pollution, and corrosion cause about 40% of ball miniature bearing failures. Improper use and poor use environment usually cause pollution. It can also cause torque and noise problems. The failure of miniature bearings due to the environment and pollution can be prevented. And simple visual inspection can determine such failures' cause.