Large bearings for mining

Bearing manufacturer NKE Austria supplies large-size bearings for the mining industry. When replacements were needed for an ore dressing plant’s existing special bearings, NKE developed thrust ball bearings with a higher mechanical rigidity and static load capacity, reduced material load and simpler installation than their predecessors.

Because the bearings originally used in the ore dressing plant are no longer available from their manufacturer, a replacement for these custom bearings had to be found. The large-size bearings were required to absorb high thrust loads at low speeds. To allow easy installation, the bearing rings were to be made from several sections.

For use in the ore dressing plant, NKE developed full complement thrust ball bearings with an external diameter of 2,540 mm. In the original version, the two bearing rings were split into six sections each, but the rings of NKE’s large-size bearings consist of only three segments. This has the advantage of reducing the time needed for installation as well as increasing the mechanical rigidity of the bearing bushes and cutting the number of joints to reduce the load on the material. While their external geometry and mounting dimensions remain unchanged, the bearings’ internal structure has been optimised to enhance their static loading capacity compared to the original bearings.