Does anyone know if it is advisable to freeze ball bearings with gas from liquid nitogen to make installation easier?These are large 6" to 8" OD double sealed ball bearings. Bearing manuals I've found discuss bearing heating to fit a shaft but not cooling to fit a housing.
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Bearing Installation
- Thread starter rwamsley
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janderson2
Electrical
I think it is more common to freeze the shaft. This will allow a tighter interference when the temperatures normalize.
mechanosetboy
Mechanical
It is generally ok to cool bearings but two factors are critical, first is the chill temperature and its effect on the seals, second is the use of mechanical force on the outer or inner ring when mechanically pushed or forced into the housing, In general a cooled housing should drop in without force otherwise there are potential fractures due to the embrittlement of the bearing metal.
electricpete
Electrical
As janderson says, for typical industrial machinery with rotating inner ring and stationary outer ring, the tighter interference fit is usually on the shaft, not in the housing.
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