Introduction and Function of Rolling Bearing Chamfer

Sep 14, 2023

1. What is the chamfer of bearings?

Chamfer is a term in mechanical engineering. To remove the burr on the part due to machining and to facilitate the assembly of the part, a chamfer is generally made at the end of the part. Chamfer can be seen everywhere: on the frames of mobile phones, on tempered doors, on vases, and so on.

Generally, the function of a chamfer is to remove burrs and make them beautiful. The chamfers, highlighted in the drawings, are usually necessary for installation purposes, such as when installing a bearing. Additionally, some chamfers in the form of arc transitions can help reduce stress concentration and strengthen the shaft. In addition, it also facilitates assembly, generally before machining is complete.

Regarding agricultural machinery parts, it's common to see chamfers of approximately 45° on the end faces of round fittings and round holes. These chamfers serve multiple purposes and should be thoroughly checked and utilized during maintenance operations. If not properly maintained, they can create difficulties in maintaining agricultural machinery and even lead to unexpected failures. For example, chamfering is also performed before forming small parts, such as bolts, so the material can easily enter the forming die.

2. What is the function of the bearing chamfer?

(1) Bearing steel must have chamfers during rough machining before heat treatment, which play a very important role in releasing stress, redistribution of internal structure, fewer cracks, and reduced deformation during heat treatment of materials. Chamfer can solve the problem of stress concentration.

(2) Chamfering and deburring so that the product is not sharp and will not cut the user.

(3) It acts as a guide for positioning during assembly.

Usually, the chamfer of the outer ring of the bearing and the chamfer of the inner ring are rounded. In addition to avoiding contact stress, it is crucial to facilitate installation. Rounded corners ensure a good transition fit. Especially in the bearing production process, the chamfer size of the matching shaft and the positioning surface of the shaft hole, that is the shaft shoulder and the shoulder of the bearing housing, directly affect whether the bearing can be correctly installed in place. The bearing is installed between the axle box and the shaft, and its chamfer is larger than the bearing box and shaft shoulder chamfer. The bearing must have a larger chamfer to fit onto the axial positioning surface. When the bearing chamfer is smaller than the bearing housing and the shaft shoulder chamfer, it cannot be assembled in place, and it is easy to cause a series of problems such as stress concentration at the bearing chamfer, assembly tilt and other matching parts not being matched.

FV bearings are well-designed. The rollers, the inner rings, and the outer rings of the bearing are designed with chamfer, especially the rollers, which not only have the design of chamfer but also optimized the curvature to ensure that the edges of the rollers are not collapsed because of the concentrated forces when the bearing is running.