Joe AutoDrill wrote:
What are the advantages / disadvantages of a ceramic bearing.

Example - http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PRO...arings/Kit7183

Do they run faster without overheating or run cooler? Lubricant
requirements less critical? Longer life?

Various motorsports use 'em in a variety of applications. The balls
have less mass and better dimensional stability, so they behave better
as speed and heat increase. They also have slightly lower MOI. We've
used them in wheel bearing, which yields slightly more 'wheel'
horsepower (less driveline loss) Other people use them in crank and
counterbalancer applications etc.


Are they more prone to damage when shocked by vibrations or trauma from
impact, etc?

Yes! :-) But not so bad that they require a lot of extra care, just
some sensible precautions.


Did a quick Google search and turned up some info, but would love some "in
the field" information if available.


Hope this helped.

Pete


--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College

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Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)