Bearing Housings: Find the One That is Best For You

Bearing housing is fairly important, and when it comes down to it, there are many kinds from which you can pick the one that best suits your need. We have five described below.

• Pillow Block: Pillow block, also known as pedestal housings, are the most common form of housing for mounted units. Manufacturers design them to provide the most support for the shaft where the mounting is parallel to the shaft axis. Pillow blocks come in many configurations, usually with bolt holes that you an adjust when mounting. There is also a product called pressed steel pillow block bearings which are for light applications.
• Flanges: The second most common housing is the flange housing. Flange housings are usually round or square in shape and fastened by 2-bolts, 3-bolts or 4-bolts. Take-up units, an efficient way to tension the pulleys of conveyor belts or elevator applications, are either tension or push. Rod-end units have an eye-shaped head with a shank that makes the housing for a spherical plain bearing. Rod-end units are either shoe or "T" types. The rod-end housing consists of a split outer shell that encases a bearing set in a swivel cartridge. Manufacturers typically make standard rod-ends out of grey iron. Graphite iron or steel are available. Flanges also come in hanger mountings. Manufacturers design hanger mountings as single boss, double boss, or triple boss hanger.
• Special Housings: Sometimes manufacturers make housings for specific applications. For example, the manufacturer of the water-cooled housing designed it specifically for the steel mill industry for use with continuous casters. You can request that manufacturers design a special housing for specific projects.
• Housings for Tapered Roller Bearings: Engineers use tapered roller bearings for material-handlers and processors, air-handling equipment, water and waste treatment, shredders, ovens, and furnaces, just to name a few applications. Critical to selecting the right housing for the roller bearings are the loading and mounting conditions of the specific project. For example, if the load sits at an angle into the split of a 2-piece housing, you will need the force of the mounting bolt's clamp strong enough to resist any slippage.
• Housings for Cylindrical Roller Bearings: Manufacturers design most cylindrical roller bearings in a single row with a cage. They are, however, available in many sizes and shapes. Engineers use these bearings for heavy radial loads, applications that require rapid acceleration or applications that operate at high speeds. The appropriate housing for cylindrical roller bearings depends on the operating conditions of the project. Engineers recommend one piece housings for crane support wheels, wheel hubs, crank bearings, conveyor rollers, rope sheaves, electric motors, pumps and tension pulleys. Engineers recommend one-piece or split housings for heavy rail vehicles, transmission drives, and dryer cylinders.
• Split Plummer Block Housing. Builders generally use this type of housing for self-aligning ball bearings, spherical roller bearings, and CARB toroidal roller bearings. Several designs and variations on split plummer block housings make it unnecessary to special order housing for a particular project. Manufacturers generally make them out of grey cast iron but they also come in spheroidal graphite cast iron for projects that require additional strength. Applications that use split plummer block housing include material handlers, mining, metallurgical fields, and pulp and paper industries.

You can buy bearing housings made of ductile iron or cast iron. Lighter applications may require pressed steel. Manufacturers also use aluminum to make bearing housings. Aluminum requires a tighter fit because it tends to expand when heated.

To learn correct oil application methods for roller bearings, read Noria Corporation's article entitled "How to Determine the Correct Oil Application Method".

To talk with one of our representatives about bearing housings, or anything else, please contact us.