What is the bearing preload?

Bearing preloading means that after the bearing is installed on the bearing seat and shaft, certain measures are taken to cause a certain amount of pre-deformation between the rolling elements in the bearing and the inner and outer rings to keep the inner and outer rings in a tight state. 

The main functions of bearing preload include: reducing noise, compensating for wear during operation, improving shaft guidance accuracy, improving rigidity, and extending working life.

Compensate for wear during operation. The bearing will cause an increase in clearance due to wear during operation. This situation can be compensated for by preloading. Improve the rigidity. The rigidity of the bearing refers to the ratio of the force on the bearing to its elastic deformation. For imported bearings that are preloaded, the elastic deformation caused by loads within a certain range is smaller than that of bearings without preload.

To reduce noise, the smaller the working clearance of the bearing, the better the guidance of the rolling elements in the no-load zone, and the smaller the noise of the bearing during operation. Extended operating life. In some applications, preloading the bearing arrangement can improve operational reliability and extend operating life. Proper preload can make the load distribution in the bearing more even, so it can have a longer working life.