Issued patent
NiTi Alloy Ball Bearings
An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.
About this technology
Overview
Innovators at NASA's Glenn Research Center have developed a new method for making small diameter, high-grade Nickel Titanium (NiTi) ball bearings that set a new standard for precision performance in the bearing field. Using non-corrosive NiTi alloy instead of steel is an inexpensive way to increase the load capability and reduce the weight of a ball bearing. It has been difficult, however, to produce balls less than 0.375" in diameter using the standard baseline 60NiTi alloy. To address this challenge, Glenn innovators have created a new, more advanced alloy consisting of NiTi and Hafnium (Hf) that can produce high-quality ball bearings of any size, but most notably less than 0.25" in diameter. Glenn's NiTi-Hf ball bearings are superior to any previously used alloy or steel. They are corrosion-resistant, shockproof, and have been rated at a grade 10 or higher on the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee (ABEC) scale (an industry-accepted tolerance standard for bearings). Thanks to their high strength and Rockwell hardness (HRC 58-60), these customizable ball bearings will facilitate new high-speed precision applications in a broad range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, industrial, medical, and more.