Bearing surface
A bearing surface is a mechanical engineering term that refers to the area of contact between two objects. It usually is used in reference to bolted joints and bearings, but can be applied to a wide variety of engineering applications.
On a screw the bearing area loosely refers to the underside of the head.[1] Strictly speaking, the bearing area refers to the area of the screw head that directly bears on the part being fastened.[2]
For a cylindrical bearing it is the projected area perpendicular to the applied force.[3]
On a spring the bearing area refers to the amount of area on the top or bottom surface of the spring in contact with the constraining part.[4]
The ways of machine tools, such as dovetail slides, box ways, prismatic ways, and other types of machine slides are also bearing surfaces.
See also
- Babbitt, an alloy that covers a bearing surface
References
- ↑ Smith 1990, p. 38.
- ↑ Fastener terms, retrieved 2009-06-29.
- ↑ Low & Bevis 1908, p. 115.
- ↑ Helical Compression Spring Terminology, retrieved 2009-06-29.
Bibliography
- Low, David Allan; Bevis, Alfred William (1908), Manual of machine drawing and design (Revised ed.), Longmans, Green, and co.
- Smith, Carroll (1990), Carroll Smith's Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners, and Plumbing Handbook, MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company, ISBN 0-87938-406-9.