openbearing

Openbearing is a term used to describe an open-data initiative and knowledge base dedicated to bearings in mechanical engineering. It aims to standardize, publish, and maintain information about bearing types, performance, and compatibility in an openly accessible form, enabling researchers, engineers, and educators to reuse data without proprietary restrictions.

The project defines an open data model for bearings, covering categories such as ball, roller, and plain bearings; geometric attributes (inner diameter, outer diameter, width, bore, clearance); performance metrics (dynamic and static load ratings, friction, stiffness, misalignment tolerance, life expectations); materials (shaft, cage, race materials); lubrication, seals, operating temperature, and installation notes. Data are stored in machine-readable formats (JSON, CSV) and exposed via an API, with references to test standards and manufacturer specifications where permitted.

Openbearing is typically organized as a community-driven project with permissive licensing, governance guidelines, and contribution workflows. It emphasizes verifiable sources, versioning, and provenance so users can trace data lineage. While not tied to any single manufacturer, it may include links to public standards such as ISO and ANSI classifications where applicable.

Applications include component selection and life-cycle analysis, academic research and teaching, and open-hardware or open-source device projects seeking transparent, comparable bearing specifications. By providing a common reference dataset, openbearing seeks to reduce vendor lock-in and support interoperable design workflows.

Challenges include ensuring data quality, consistency across sources, and sustaining community participation. Ongoing work focuses on expanding coverage to non-traditional bearing types, harmonizing terminology, and integrating with simulation tools and CAD workflows. The initiative is part of broader open-data and open-hardware movements.