Are bearing retainers necessary?

What are bearing retainers, and why are they necessary? Let's make this simple and clear.

The bearing cage is a part of the rolling bearing, which is mainly used to fix the rolling element (such as ball or roller) in a certain position to prevent them from dispersing, falling, contacting too much or rubbing against each other during operation.

1. Reduce friction: When the rolling element rotates in the rolling bearing, the cage can effectively avoid friction between the rolling element, reduce the friction coefficient, and improve efficiency.

2. Maintain stability: The cage can lock the rolling element and let them operate according to the predetermined trajectory to improve stability.

3. Avoid wear: Reduce the wear between rolling elements and extend the service life of rolling bearings. This is especially important in many high-load usage scenarios.

For some rolling bearings that work at high speeds, high loads and even in extreme environments, cages are indeed very necessary. Just imagine, if there is no cage, the rolling element will be dispersed and contacted at will, which may cause equipment failure, performance degradation and even safety risks.

However, in some special applications, there are also cases where cages are not required. In some low speed and heavy load situations, cages may not be necessary. This type of rolling bearing is called "full roller bearing". In this case, they increase the number of rolling elements to withstand greater loads to ensure the stability and reliability of rolling bearings.

Rolling bearings requiring cages are more suitable for applications with high loads, high speeds and special environments, which can effectively improve the reliability and life of rolling bearings and equipment.

Therefore, the case by case analysis, according to the actual needs to choose whether the cage is needed, is the most sensible approach.