Posted to News on 26th May 2014, 00:00
Bearings prove their reliability
Super precision bearings manufacturer The Barden Corporation (UK) is supplying angular contact ball bearings to Team Bath Racing for use on its 2014 Formula Student racing car. Team Bath Racing is a team of around 100 undergraduate engineers from the University of Bath. Every year, the team designs, builds and competes with a single-seater racing car in the worldwide Formula Student competitions. The team comprises first, second, third and final year undergraduates from a range of engineering disciplines including mechanical, electrical, automotive and electronics.
>Having competed in Formula Student events since 2001, Team Bath Racing has established itself as one of Europe's top teams. In 2012, the team finished fourth in the Austrian event - the best performance that year by a UK team - as well as second in the endurance event in Austria and was the winner of the Cost & Sustainability competition (UK). The team will compete in three competitions later this year, the most by any UK-based team. The three races will be held at Silverstone, UK (12 -13 July), Germany (29 July - 4 August) and Austria (17-20 August).
>As Franco Botes, business manager of Team Bath Racing comments: "We've been using wheel bearings from Barden on the racing car since 2010 and they have proved to be very reliable. The 2014 car has a pair of angular contact ball bearings fitted to each wheel. If we fitted inferior bearings to the wheels, this would lead to increased friction, overheating and slower speeds around the track. The wheels undergo high lateral forces, particularly when cornering, and so having superior wheel bearings ensures high reliability, lowest possible friction levels and a better overall performing car."
