Engineering Dictionary B

BEARING, FLOATING RING - A type of journal bearing that includes a thin ring between the journal and the bearing. The ring floats and rotates at a fraction of the journal rotational speed.

BEARING, FLUID - (see hydrostatic bearing)

BEARING, FULL JOURNAL - A journal bearing that surrounds the journal by a full 360°.

BEARING, GAS - A journal or thrust bearing lubricated with gas.

BEARING, HALF JOURNAL - A bearing extending 180° around a journal.

BEARING, JOURNAL - A machine part in which a rotating shaft revolves or slides.

BEARING, KINGSBURY TRUST - The predominant thrust bearing used in hydroelectric generators is the Kingsbury thrust bearing.  It consist of a annular arrangement of babbit covered, pie shaped, stationary, shoes. The shoes form a circle around the rotating shaft. A cylindrical thrust block with a highly polished end is pressed onto the shaft and held to the shaft with half moon collars. The polished end of the shaft rests on the surfaces of the babbitted, stationary shoes. The shoes are mounted on spherical studs that allows them to tilt. As the hydraulic turbine spins the shaft, the collar turns on the shoes.

BEARING, MAGNETIC - A type of bearing in which the force that separates the relatively moving surfaces is produced be a magnetic field.

BEARING, MAIN - A bearing supporting the main power-transmitting shaft.

BEARING, MITCHELL -(see tilting pad bearing).

BEARING, NEEDLE - A bearing in which the relatively moving parts are separated by long thin rollers that have a length-to-diameter ratio exceeding 5.0.

BEARING, NONCONTACT - A bearing in which no solid contact occurs between relatively moving surfaces.

BEARING, PEDESTAL - A bearing that is supported on a column or pedestal rather than on the main body of the machine.

BEARING, PIVOT - An axial load bearing, radial-load-type bearing which supports the end of a shaft or pivot.

BEARING, POROUS - Made from porous material, such as compressed metal powders, the pores acting either as reservoirs for holding or passages for supplied lubricant.

BEARING, ROLLER - A bearing in which the relatively moving parts are separated by rollers.

BEARING, RUBBING - A bearing in which the relatively moving parts slide without deliberate lubrication.

BEARING, SELF-ALIGNING - A roller-element bearing with one spherical raceway that automatically provides compensation for shaft or housing deflection or misalignment.

BEARING, SELF-LUBRICATING - A bearing independent of external lubrication. These bearings may be sealed for life after packing with grease or may contain self-lubricating material.

BEARING, SLEEVE - A cylindrical plain bearing used to provide radial location for a shat, which moves axially. Sleeve bearings consist of one or more layers of bearing alloys, bonded to a steel backing.

BEARING, SLIDE - A bearing used or positioning a slide or for axial alignment of a long rotating shaft.

BEARING, STEP - A plane surface bearing that supports the lower end of a vertical shaft.

BEARING, THRUST - A bearing in which the load acts in the direction of the axis of rotation.

BEARING, TILTING PAD - A pad bearing in which the pads are free to take up a position at an angle to the opposing surface according to the hydrodynamic pressure distribution over its surface.

BEARING, TRUNNION - A bearing used as a pivot to swivel or turn an assembly.

BED - A mass of ion-exchange resin particles contained in a column.

BED DEPTH - The height of the resinous material in the column after the ion exchanger has been properly conditioned for effective operation.

BED EXPANSION - The effect produced during backwashing when the resin particles become separated and rise in the column. The expansion of the bed due to the increase in the space between resin particles may be controlled by regulating backwash flow (typical with water treatment).

BELLOWS - Corrugated cylindrical container which moves as pressures change, or provides a seal during movement of parts.

BELLOWS SEAL - A type of mechanical seal that utilizes a bellows for providing secondary sealing.

BENDING MOMENT - The algebraic sum of the couples or the moments of the external forces, or both, to the left or right of any section on a member subjected to bending by couples or transverse forces, or both.

BERNOULLI'S THEOREM - In stream of liquid, the sum of elevation head, pressure head and velocity remains constant along any line of flow provided no work is done by or upon liquid in course of its flow, and decreases in proportion to energy lost in flow.

BICARBONATE ALKALINITY - The presence in a solution of hydroxyl (OH-) ions resulting from the hydrolysis of carbonates or bicarbonates. When these salts react with water, a strong base and a weak acid are produced, and the solution is alkaline.

BICARBONATE - An ion or salt of carbonic acid, containing hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen (HC0₃), such as sodium bicarbonate, NaHC0₃.

BIMETAL STRIP - Temperature regulating or indicating device which works on principle that two dissimilar metals with unequal expansion rates, welded together, will bend as temperatures change.

BIMETALLIC COUPLE - A joint or union of two dissimilar metals.

BIOCIDE - A chemical used to control the population of troublesome microbes.

BLACK LIQUOR - The liquid material remaining from pulpwood cooking in the soda or sulfate papermaking process.

BLADE CLEARANCE (STEAM TURBINE) - Reaction turbine - the gap between blade and casing.  Impulse turbine - the gap between the stationary and moving blades.

BLAST FREEZER - Low-temperature evaporator which uses a fan to force air rapidly over the evaporator surface.

BLAST FURNACE GAS - Is the waste product from furnaces used to smelt iron ores.

BLEEDER VALVE - A valve designed to slowly relief a liquid or gas form system.

BLEEDING - Slowly reducing the pressure of liquid or gas from a system or cylinder by slightly opening a valve.

BLEEDOFF - The continuous removal of water from a re-circulating water system.

BLEEDOFF RATE - The rate at which water is continuously removed from a system.

BLOWDOWN - In connection with boilers or cooling towers, the process of discharging a significant portion of the aqueous solution in order to remove accumulated salts, deposits and other impurities.

BOILER - Closed container in which a liquid may be heated and vaporized.

BOILER FEED WATER - The total water fed to a boiler producing steam. This water is the mixture of return steam condensate and makeup water.

BOILER HORSEPOWER - The work required to evaporate 34.5 lb of water per hour into steam from and at 100°C.

BOILER LAY-UP - Storing and protecting the boiler when not in use.

BOILING OUT - The boiling of high alkaline water in boiler pressure parts for the removal of oil, greases, prior to normal operation or after major repairs.

BOILING POINT - The temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the absolute external pressure at the liquid-vapor interface.

BOILING TEMPERATURE - Temperature at which a fluid changes from a liquid to a gas.

BORE - Inside diameter of a cylinder.

BOURDON TUBE - Thin-walled tube of elastic metal flattened and bent into circular shape, which tends to straighten as pressure inside is increased. Used in pressure gauges.

BOYLES' LAW - If the temperature on a gas is constant, the volume is inversely proportional to the pressure. By formula - VP = V₁P₁

BRANCH CIRCUIT - Wiring between the last over current device and the branch circuit outlets.

BRASS - A copper-zinc alloy containing up to 40% zinc and some smaller amounts of other metals.

BRAYTON CYCLE (also referred to as the Joule Cycle) - A rotating machine in which compression and expansion take place. Gas turbine are such an example.

BRAZE - A weld produced by heating an assembly to suitable temperatures and by using a filler metal having a liquid us above 450°C. The filler metal is distributed between the closely fitted facing surface of the joint by capillary action.

BRAZING, BLOCK - A brazing process in which the heat required is obtained from heated blocks applied to the parts to be joined.

BREAKTHROUGH - The first appearance in the solution flowing from an ion-exchange unit of unabsorbed ions similar to those which are depleting the activity of the resin bed. Breakthrough is an indication that regeneration of the resin is necessary.

BRINE - Water saturated with a chemical such as salt.

BRITISH THERMAL UNIT, (BTU) - The Btu is defined as the heat required to raise the temperature of a pound of water from 59° to 60°F.

BRITTLENESS - The tendency of a material to fracture without first undergoing significant plastic deformation.

BRONZE - A copper-rich copper tin alloy with or without small proportions of other elements.

BTU - British Thermal Unit.  Is the measure of heat energy.

BUFFER - A substance used in solution, which accepts hydrogen ions or hydroxyl ions, added to the solution as acids or alkali’s, minimizing a change in pH.

BULB - The name given to the temperature-sensing device located in the fluid for which control or indication is provided. The bulb may be liquid-filled, gas filled, or gas-and-liquid filled. Changes in temperature produce pressure changes within the bulb which are transmitted to the controller.

BULGE - A local distortion or swelling outward caused by internal pressure on a tube wall or boiler shell due to overheating.

BUS BAR - A heavy, rigid metallic conductor which carries a large current and makes a common connection between several circuits. Bus bars are usually uninsulated and located where the electrical service enters a building; that is, in the main distribution cabinet.

BYPASS - A pipe or duct, usually controlled by valve or damper, for conveying a fluid around an element of a system.

BYPASS - Passage at one side of, or around, a regular passage.

BYPASS FEEDER - A closed tank that is installed in a system in "bypass," that is, in a side stream taken off the system and leading back to the system rather than directly in-line.