Dryer's rear drum bearing - Grease or nylon harder than steel?


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Old 04-06-10, 09:27 AM
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Dryer's rear drum bearing - Grease or nylon harder than steel?

After I replaced the worn out rear bearing, I took the old one to the appliance repair shop I patronize and know all the guys there. I showed the one tech the bearing, and asked him for the explanation of how on earth a solid steel metal ball (that sits in the nylon support socket), is worn with grooves in it? I asked him if the nylon or the old hardened grease is harder than steel. He looked at it and looked at me kind of *****, since they know me how I am (this scientist type), and he grinned and said, "Must be". Obviously he had no real answer either.

Now if particles of sand or steel or diamond dust fell into that socket, I could see it. But I saw no evidence of foreign intrusion. I have actually seen this happen before, since invariably, those ball sockets get destroyed. But how? They look like they are made of high grade steel (not some lightweight potmetal junk), to look at them.

Any legitimate explanations?

Maybe this is an important scientific discovery that would interest say NASA, that the grease, when it gets hot, then gets old and scorched?, becomes harder than steel? I showed it to a friend, and he suggested I contact the manufacturer, as he too is mystified. And if say it can really do this, maybe similar things can happen to car bearings or other bearing applications. ???
 
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Old 04-06-10, 03:37 PM
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I'm assuming this is a rear bearing for a Frigidaire dryer.

This is not a hardened steel--just chromed. Grit\dirt will eventually wear-down the ball portion of the bearing.

It's more common for the *thinner* portion of the bearing to scrape against the bearing *retainer* after the nylon insert wears-out.
It's not unusual to see a completely cut off ball section of the bearing---at which point the drum sinks lower and will no longer tumble.
 
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Old 04-07-10, 04:01 PM
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But non-the-less, it is steel. Yes, you are right on all counts, to even how the ball can even break. What is odd is my ball is very deeply scored - and yet the nylon itself did not wear down to the retainer! And it can do this in basements that have no windows to let in outside air say from a dirt road or anything. And the basement itself can even appear pretty clean. I still think that is amazing, considering the ball wore that way without the nylon totally wearing out(not even down to the retainer) first.
 
 

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