Eine erste Abschätzung des globalen Energieverbrauchs von Kugellagern

Rolling element bearings are found in every piece of machinery and are, therefore, a source of energy losses that can’t be ignored. During the last years a series of energy efficient bearings have been developed using specific designs or new materials aiming to reduce the losses of a bearing without sacrificing its load carrying capacity. The effect that these designs have on the global energy consumption hasn’t been quantified until now. A methodology to estimate the energy losses of the usage of a specific bearing type on a global scale is presented in this paper. The method, that is based on current standards, provides a first approximation for the determination of the energy losses of bearings and it is tested for its plausibility. The pros and cons of the proposed method are discussed, and a proposal is made on how to calculate the potential energy efficiency of newer designs.