Bearing Life

Bearing life refers to the amount of time any bearing will perform in a specified operation before failure. Bearing life is commonly defined in terms of L-10 life, which is sometimes referred to as B-10. This is the life which 90% of identical bearings subjected to identical usage applications and environments will attain (or surpass) before bearing material fails from fatigue. The bearing’s calculated L-10 life is primarily a function of the load supported by (and/or applied to) the bearing and its operating speed.

Many factors have a profound affect on the actual life of the bearing.

Some of these factors are:

• Temperature
• Lubrication
• Improper care in mounting resulting in:
  • Contamination
  • Misalignment
  • Deformation

As a result of these factors, an estimated 95% of all failures are classified as premature bearing failures.