10 Cast Net: Magnetic Bearings

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Magnetic Bearings

A magnetic bearing is a bearing which supports a load using magnetic levitation. Magnetic bearings support moving machinery without physical contact; for example, they can levitate a rotating shaft and permit relative motion with very low friction and no mechanical wear. Magnetic bearings are in service in such industrial applications as electric power generation, petroleum refining, machine tool operation, and natural gas pipelines. They are also used in the Zippe-type centrifuge used for uranium enrichment. Magnetic bearings are used in turbomolecular pumps, where oil-lubricated bearings would be a source of contamination. Magnetic bearings support the highest speeds of any kind of bearing; they have no known maximum relative speed.