Axial Clearance for Bearings

Every bearing in existence has some amount of clearance in the races for the balls or roller to be able to perform correctly under load. That "clearance" — commonly known as Axial Clearance for its direction in line with the axis of the shaft — needs to be measured very accurately in order to verify the bearing quality. But the vast range of sizes of different bearings makes this a formidable task.

A unique arrangement between a simple PLC and an Edmunds CAGQCM gaging amplifier automates the measurements and settings achieved on a Manual Axial Clearance Gaging Bench system. The task is performed by monitoring the independent motions of the inner race within a typical cycle, as the outer race is held motionless. Opposing motions are periodically idled in one direction as the PLC initiates the CAGQCM to reset its display to "0" zero. Next the motion is advanced in the opposite direction and an LVDT reads the amount of movement of the outer race — displayed as the T.I.R. value of axial play.