Robust, high performance spherical roller bearings withstand harsh heavy duty operating environments

Ideal for heavy duty, harsh operating environments and where there is a need to compensate for shaft misalignment, Schaeffler Group's range of X-life E1 spherical roller bearings offer longer operating life, improved machine performance and higher reliability in harsh operating environments.

The E1 range - which has now been expanded to include eight bearing series with bore diameters from 20mm up to 1,220mm - is suitable for a wide range of applications, including continuous casting machines used in steel processing, paper mills, wind turbine rotor shafts, and vibrating screens. The bearings are suitable for harsh operating environments, particularly in applications where very high load carrying capacities and reliability are key design criteria.

Due to their robust design and high load carrying capacity, E1 spherical roller bearings in Schaeffler's premium quality X-life rating offer optimum solutions for vibrating screens.

The low friction characteristics of the X-life E1 bearings not only withstands the very high alternating loads that occur in vibrating screens, but also help to reduce noise levels and operating temperatures, resulting in improved machine efficiency. In the larger-sized bearings with bore diameters greater than 320mm, the X-life E1 bearings benefit from having hardened sheet steel cages, which enable longer operating life due to significantly reduced wear.

Large-sized X-life spherical roller bearings are used as locating and non-locating bearings on continuous casting machines used in steel processing.

The compact design of the bearing, combined with improved basic load ratings and friction-optimised kinematics, provide improved performance and longer operating life in tough, aggressive operating environments such as steel processing. The new sheet steel cages provide excellent resistance to wear and contamination. Standard bearing dimensions enable easy mounting and replacement of existing bearings.

In a wind turbine, the design of the rotor shaft bearing is critical, as this bearing is directly exposed to the loads and forces induced by the wind. Alternating loads with extreme peaks and troughs, as well as fluctuating operating temperatures represent further challenges to the bearing designer.

E1 spherical roller bearings are designed to withstand these types of conditions experienced by wind turbine rotors. The improved design of the E1 spherical roller bearings results in an extended operating life, higher reliability, improved drive system efficiency, lower noise levels and reduced operating temperatures - enabling reliable condition monitoring.

The distinct advantages of using X-life E1 spherical roller bearings means that these bearings are ideally suited to paper production applications. By converting standard E1 spherical roller bearings to X-life quality, Schaeffler customers benefit from a 15 per cent increase in basic dynamic load ratings, and up to 60 per cent longer service life compared to previous bearing designs.

These higher basic static load ratings lead to improvements in the static load safety factor of the bearings. Under similar operating conditions, this means that significantly longer bearing life can be achieved, even with a considerable increase in load.

In the latest bearing designs for paper mills, similar or higher performance can be achieved using smaller diameter bearings. By downsizing (smaller design envelope, reduced friction, lower lubricant requirement, higher speeds) more economical bearing solutions can be achieved. As a result, the improved bearing kinematics lead to lower operating costs because both friction and bearing temperatures are minimised, which in turn place less strain on the grease.

X-life Explained
Spherical roller bearings are double-row, self-contained units that comprise solid outer rings with a concave raceway, solid inner rings and barrel rollers with cages. The inner rings have cylindrical or tapered bores.

Many bearing sizes within the E1 spherical roller bearing range can now be converted to X-life quality. These bearings have no central rib on the inner ring and are therefore able to use longer barrel rollers. Furthermore, the bearings benefit from improved kinematics, optimised surfaces and are made from higher performance materials. As a result, the basic dynamic load rating and basic rating life (under similar operating conditions) are improved significantly. This means that in certain applications, a smaller bearing solution can be provided.

For the customer, these benefits translate into higher machine availability, new design possibilities, more economical bearing solutions due to downsizing; and lower operating costs due to reduced energy consumption.  

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