Bearing in Dust

Dust Bearings are specially designed bearings primarily used in mechanical equipment operating in environments filled with dust or pollutants, such as electrostatic precipitators.

Below is a detailed introduction to Dust Bearings:

 • Structural Composition: The structure of different types of dust bearings varies. Taking the steel ball rolling type dust bearing as an example, it consists of a bearing seat, steel balls, a clamping hoop, and a cross pin column. The bearing seat has a steel ball hole in the middle, where the steel balls are installed. Below the steel ball hole, there is a dust leakage hole to prevent dust accumulation. The clamping hoop is composed of two semi-cylindrical parts and is used to secure the rotating shaft. Additionally, there is the roller-type dust bearing, which consists of a roller shaft, rollers, a sealing sleeve forming the roller assembly, and components such as a support base, gasket, locking sleeve, cotter pin, pin shaft, retaining ring, and protective cover. 

 Working Principle: The main function of dust bearings is to support the shaft, fix it so that it can only rotate, and control its axial and radial movement. For example, in electrostatic precipitators, dust bearings are used to support the rotating shafts of cathode rapping and anode rapping. When the shaft rotates, relevant components of the dust bearing, such as the steel balls in the steel ball rolling type or the rollers in the roller-type dust bearing, undergo relative motion with the shaft, thereby achieving the function of supporting and guiding rotation. 

• Material Selection: Due to the harsh working environment of dust bearings, dust acts as an abrasive, leading to bearing wear. Therefore, the bearing seat is typically made of wear-resistant cast iron, and the steel balls are purchased as wear-resistant steel balls. Additionally, there are self-lubricating dust bearings, whose U-shaped self-lubricating diaphragm is made of a copper alloy plate coated with a layer of fluorinated graphite solid lubricant, allowing them to operate well under high temperature, high pressure, high load, and corrosive conditions.

 • Type Characteristics: Common dust bearings include roller rolling bearings, integral sliding bearings, and steel ball rolling dust bearings. Roller rolling bearings have a longer service life but involve more processing and weight, making them more expensive. Integral sliding dust bearings have a simple structure and low cost, but due to sliding friction between the shaft and the bearing, combined with the abrasive effect of dust, their service life is relatively shorter. Steel ball rolling dust bearings require less metal processing, are lower in price, easy to install and use, and have a longer service life. • Application Scenarios: Dust bearings are widely used in industries such as mining, metallurgy, food processing, papermaking, printing, textiles, dyeing, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Equipment in these industries often operates in environments with dust or pollutants, and dust bearings ensure the normal operation of the equipment.