The method includes: the step of preparing a steel material and a work portion; the step of placing the steel material on the work portion; and the steps of obtaining the rolling bearing ring by heating the steel material on the work portion to a temperature equal to or higher than an A.sub.1 transformation point, thereafter punching a part of the steel material into a ring shape, and thereafter quenching the steel material in a ring shape on the work portion. In the step of obtaining the rolling bearing ring, heating and punching are performed in the state where oxidation of the steel material is suppressed, and in the state where tensile force is applied between the first portion and the second portion in the steel material.

A bearing system for a rotating vertical shaft includes a first ball bearing, having a first pitch diameter and a first axial stiffness and a second ball bearing having a second pitch diameter and a second axial stiffness. The first ball bearing is a deep groove Conrad bearing. The second ball bearing is an angular contact bearing. The first and second ball bearings are coaxial, secured to one another and rotatable together. The first pitch diameter is at least 1.5 times greater than the second pitch diameter. The bearing system has an axial stiffness ratio defined by the first axial stiffness divided by the second axial stiffness. The axial stiffness ratio is based on an axial preload force applied to the second outer ring such that an operating torque of the bearing system is within a predetermined range at temperatures from minus 40 to positive 85 degrees Celsius.

A Hybrid rolling bearing includes an inner raceway and an outer raceway and a plurality of rolling elements arranged therebetween. The outer raceway and the inner raceway are made from bearing steel, having a first surface RMS roughness R.sub.q1. The rolling elements are made from a ceramic material and have second surface RMS roughnesses R.sub.q2,i. At least one of the rolling elements has an increased surface RMS roughness R.sub.q2,N, which is significantly higher than the RMS roughnesses R.sub.q2,i, of the remaining rolling elements. The hybrid rolling bearing can be installed within a refrigerant compressor.

A carburized shaft part having a predetermined composition, a C content at a surface layer part of a mass % of 0.60 to 1.00%, at least one hole at an outer circumferential surface, a total volume ratio of martensite and retained austenite of 97% or more at a structure at a position of a 1 mm depth from the outer circumferential surface in an axial direction of the hole and a position of a 20 m depth from the surface of the hole, a maximum retained austenite volume ratio (R1) of 10.0 to 30.0% at a position of a 1 mm depth from the outer circumferential surface in the axial direction of the hole and a range up to a 200 m depth from the surface of the hole, and a retained austenite reduction ratio of 20% or more found from R1 and the retained austenite volume ratio (R2) at a position of a 1 mm depth from the outer circumferential surface in the axial direction of the hole and a position of a 20 m depth from the surface of the hole by the formula (A): =(R1R)/R1100.

A bearing component such as a bearing ring includes a metallic base body and at least one alloy steel coating on the base body, the coating being applied to the base body by deposition welding. The base body is preferably non-alloy steel or cast iron, and the alloy includes at least one carbide-forming transition metal such as niobium, tantalum, zirconium, titanium, hafnium, tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, or manganese. The coating can form a raceway of the bearing component or a structural element such as a flange. Also a method of forming such a bearing component is provided.

Steel for a crankshaft includes 0.37 to 0.42 wt % of carbon (C), 0.55 to 0.70 wt % of silicon (Si), 1.45 to 1.65 wt % of manganese (Mn), 0.025 wt % or less (excluding 0 wt %) of phosphorus (P), 0.020 to 0.035 wt % of sulfur (S), 0.15 to 0.30 wt % of chromium (Cr), 0.035 to 0.055% of vanadium (V), and the remainder of Fe and other inevitable impurities. The steel for a crankshaft has strength that is maintained high even when reducing the amount of vanadium.

A near-eutectoid bearing steel having from 0.7 to 0.9 wt. % carbon, from 0.1 to 0.35 wt. % silicon, from 0.7 to 1.2 wt. % manganese, from 1.0 to 2.0 wt. % chromium, from 0.1 to 0.35 wt. % molybdenum, from 0.2 to 0.6 wt. % nickel, from 0.4 to 1.2 wt. % copper, from 0 to 0.15 wt. % vanadium, from 0 to 0.15 wt. % niobium, from 0 to 0.15 wt. % tantalum, from 0 to 0.2 wt. % cobalt, from 0 to 0.1 wt. % aluminum, from 0 to 0.05 wt. % phosphorous, from 0 to 0.03 wt. % sulphur, from 0 to 0.075 wt. % tin, from 0 to 0.075 wt. % antimony, from 0 to 0.04 wt. % arsenic, from 0 to 0.01 wt. % lead, up to 350 ppm nitrogen, up to 100 ppm oxygen, up to 50 ppm calcium, up to 50 ppm boron, up to 50 ppm titanium, the balance iron, together with any other unavoidable impurities.

A bearing retainer for use in a bearing is provided. The bearing includes an inner ring, rolling elements and an outer ring. The bearing retainer includes a body. The body defines an inner periphery and an outer periphery of the body. The body further defines a plurality of inner walls. Each inner wall defines an opening extending from the inner periphery to the outer periphery of the body. The plurality of openings is adapted to receive one of the rolling elements. The inner walls are adapted to keep the rolling elements in a spaced apart relationship. Ribs extend inwardly from the inner periphery of the body.

A nodular iron alloy and automotive components, such as crankshafts, are provided. The nodular iron alloy may include iron, about 3.3-3.9 wt % carbon, about 0.2-0.5 wt % manganese, about 1.9-2.6 wt % silicon, about 0.15-0.30 wt % copper, about 0.03-0.06 wt % magnesium, about 0-0.02 wt % sulfur, about 0-0.1 wt % chromium, about 0-0.05 wt % phosphorus, and/or about 0-0.01 wt % tin. The nodular iron alloy may include a number of graphite nodules, each having a diameter between 15 and 120 micrometers, and the graphite nodules having a number density of at least 90 per square millimeter. Iron may surround the graphite nodules in an amount of 20-40% of a ferrite microstructure and 60-80% of a pearlite microstructure. The nodular iron alloy may have an ultimate tensile strength in the range of 550 MPa to 680 MPa as-cast and at least 80% nodularity.

Bearing component (10) containing steel that comprises, by weight, 10-30 ppm Ca, max 20 ppm S and max 15 ppm O and in that said steel includes sulphide inclusions and less than 5% of the sulphide inclusions contain encapsulated or embedded oxide inclusions.