Federal Mogul Corp. (USA; Pink Sheets: FDMLQ, operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since October 2001) announced it has added a new series of tapered roller bearings to its aftermarket National branded line.

The bearings being added are all through-hardened heavy-duty tapered roller bearings with crowned races and rollers and steel retainers; the move is designed to take the National Wheel End Line deeper into commercial trailer service markets.

Through-hardened bearings offer strength and dimensional stability under load, superior to standard case-hardened bearings. Through-hardening also allows bearings with slightly different roller and raceway geometry, improving performance and service life.

As through-hardened bearings have gradually taken OEM market share from case-hardened bearings in heavy-duty commercial trucking applications, aftermarket brands have struggled to keep up on the service side.

In general terms, through-hardening refers to a heat treating process which hardens the bearing races all the way through, to a uniform hardness; case-hardening generally refers to a heat treat process which hardens the outer surfaces and to a specific depth (.010" for example) but not the entire part all the way through. For case-hardening, different applications require different case depths, and can be a misnomer to some extent because with case-hardening many thin sections wind up through-hardened.

Case-hardening is generally preferred where bearings will be taking impact loads, as the relatively soft core absorbs shock loads while the hardened outer provides the running surface. Case-hardened bearings are subject to wear limits and potential deformation under severe load. Through-hardened bearings are more expensive to produce and design into the application such that potential shock loads are minimized, while the potential for longer life and dimensional stability are generally superior to equivalent case-hardened bearings.

Wendell Hays, Federal-Mogul product manager said: "In recent years, commercial vehicle OEMs have shifted their preference to premium through-hardened bearings. Although there are varying degrees of quality in today's market, premium through-hardened bearings from respected suppliers like Federal-Mogul's National Wheel End Components are capable of exceeding industry requirements. What's most important is that we have delivered a premium through-hardened tapered roller bearing at a very attainable cost. We are justifiably proud of this new product offering."

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