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Member question: Can you settle a disagreement about the subject of sleeve bearing clearance? We have several contradictory guidelines, some of them from manufacturers. Which is best?
It is fair to say that our outlook on life is colored by experiences. In our industry, those experiences often are shaped by the customers we serve. A good example is this question about the proper clearance between a shaft and the sleeve bearing it rides in. Chances are each of us has a rule of thumb for bearing clearance, probably related to shaft diameter. They can't all be right, yet many of us may have used one of these rules (probably not the same one, either!) with great success. Which one, if any, is correct? The answer depends on the application.