The Ceramic Revolution

For more than two decades, SKF has been unlocking the secrets of hybrid bearing technology and now the company is bringing this advanced solution to the mainstream.

At the heart of this journey are hybrid bearings, which combine advanced ceramic materials with traditional steel components to deliver unmatched performance for high demand applications. Charlotte Vieillard, a materials scientist, has played a pivotal role in this effort. With a background in non-metallic materials, she joined SKF’s R&D facility in the Netherlands as a graduate researcher, focusing on the development of hybrid bearings.

While SKF is renowned for its high-quality steel bearings, Vieillard and her colleagues have turned their attention to the remarkable properties of ceramics. Hybrid bearings, which combine steel raceways with ceramic rolling elements made of silicon nitride, offer unique advantages.

"This ceramic is 60 per cent lighter than steel," says Vieillard. "That weight reduction is especially valuable in larger bearings. Lightweight rolling elements also significantly minimize the centrifugal forces that typically burden bearings at high speeds, enabling hybrid bearings to operate successfully at much higher speeds."