This precision-machined and hardened steel ring provides the smooth pathway for the spherical elements to roll along. Bearings typically have an inner race pressed onto a shaft and an outer race pressed into a housing, with the groove profile strictly toleranced to control how much the balls can shift under load.
The shaft is undersized, so the inner ballrace is spinning on the journal instead of locking in place.
Also heard as
- race
- bearing race
Related terms
Ball bearing
A mechanical bearing that reduces rotational friction by capturing spherical rolling elements between two grooved rings.
Bearing
A machine element that constrains relative motion to a desired direction and reduces friction between moving parts.
Journal box
A protective housing that encloses a rotating shaft end and its bearing to retain lubricant and block debris.