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PromiSpecial® Bearing Steel: Elevating Modern Machinery Engineering to New Heights
Bearing steel is a specialized type of steel used for manufacturing ball bearings, roller bearings, and bearing rings. It requires high hardness, exceptional wear resistance, high contact fatigue strength, and excellent dimensional stability. The stringent requirements for the chemical composition, non-metallic inclusion content and distribution, and carbide distribution make bearing steel one of the most demanding types of steel in production.
Bearing steel contains high carbon and carbide-forming elements, enabling it to achieve hardness levels of HRC58-64 after heat treatment. This hardness, combined with excellent wear resistance, allows it to perform reliably under high loads and continuous friction.
Designed to withstand repeated rolling stresses, bearing steel excels in resisting crack initiation and propagation. Its high contact fatigue strength makes it ideal for applications involving rotational motion, such as bearings and mechanical components.
With its excellent dimensional stability over long-term use, bearing steel ensures that components maintain their precise form and function. This reliability is essential in high-precision machinery where tolerance is critical.
Bearing steel is produced under stringent metallurgical standards, ensuring low impurity levels, consistent carbide distribution, and tight control over surface and internal defects. This results in superior material integrity and performance, even under demanding conditions.
Bearing steel must meet specific performance standards to ensure optimal functionality of rolling bearings:
Automotive Industry:
Bearing steel is used in the automotive industry to manufacture critical components such as engine bearings, transmission bearings, and hub bearings. For instance, GCr15 (AISI 52100) bearing steel is commonly used for ball bearings in automotive engines due to its excellent hardness and wear resistance.
Aerospace:
In the aerospace sector, bearing steel is utilized for bearings in aircraft engines, landing gear, and navigation systems. For example, M50 (AISI M50) bearing steel is preferred for high-temperature bearings in aircraft engines because of its superior high-temperature and corrosion resistance.
Energy Industry:
Bearing steel is employed in the energy sector for bearings in wind turbines, water turbines, and gas turbines. For instance, 100Cr6 (AISI 52100) bearing steel is frequently used for main shaft bearings in wind turbines due to its excellent fatigue strength and wear resistance.
Heavy Machinery:
In the heavy machinery industry, bearing steel is used for bearings in excavators, cranes, and rolling mills. For example, SUJ2 (AISI 52100) bearing steel is often used for roller bearings in heavy machinery because of its high hardness and good impact resistance.
Rail Transport:
Bearing steel is applied in the rail transport industry for manufacturing train wheel axles and rail vehicle bearings. For instance, 100CrMn6 (AISI 52100) bearing steel is commonly used for train wheel axle bearings due to its good wear resistance and dimensional stability.
Home Appliances:
In the home appliance sector, bearing steel is used for bearings in washing machines, fans, and air conditioners. For example, 100Cr6 (AISI 52100) bearing steel is often used for small ball bearings in household appliances due to its good wear resistance and low noise characteristics.
Precision Instruments:
Bearing steel is utilized in the precision instrument industry for bearings in precision measurement equipment and optical instruments. For instance, M50NiL (AISI M50NiL) bearing steel is preferred for bearings in high-precision measurement devices due to its excellent dimensional stability and corrosion resistance.
Power Tools:
In the power tools industry, bearing steel is used for bearings in drills, grinders, and cutting machines. For example, GCr15SiMn (AISI 52100) bearing steel is commonly used for ball bearings in power tools because of its high hardness and excellent wear resistance.
The precision bearing and foundational mechanical casting industries are key focus areas during the national “12th Five-Year Plan” period. The construction boom driven by infrastructure projects such as railways, affordable housing, water conservancy, ports, and airports is boosting the demand for bearing steel. As the bearing manufacturing industry continues to develop rapidly, the outlook for the bearing steel market is promising. Domestic bearing steel manufacturers are actively developing new varieties, with a focus on high-end products as the future trend.
The robust demand for bearing steel, coupled with high prices for raw materials like iron ore, coke, and high chromium, is driving up production costs. This cost pressure, in turn, is leading to increased factory prices for bearing steel, further stabilizing growth and driving domestic demand.
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