Functional Design Using Design Accelerators - Autodesk Inventor 2010: No Experience Required - page 311

The Design Tab
This tab has some straightforward inputs, but don't let the simplicity fool you —
you can quickly locate a huge amount of data using this tab.
The pull-down list at the top launches a dialog box similar to the one used for
placing components from the Content Center. The dialog box includes two pull-
down lists that allow you to fi lter based on the standard or the category of bear-
ing. After you set the fi lters, the bearing standards are displayed as icons. The
dimensional range at upper right limits the selection of bearings based on space
considerations.
The selection arrows at left let you select geometry directly in the assembly for
the diameter and starting plane used to placing a bearing.
After you've selected your search criteria, you can update the rules to have
Inventor search the Content Center for the matching items. The list appears in
the Select Bearing area in the lower half of the window.
The Calculation Tab
The Calculation tab is intended to be used quite differently than the Design tab.
You input your requirements, and Inventor calculates which standard bearings
meet your needs.
Discussing every option here would lead us into engineering topics that are
beyond the scope of this topic. The bottom line is that if you want to be abso-
lutely certain that the bearing you select will do the job, this is where to fi nd
out. There are a couple of key elements that every user should be aware of.
Type of Strength Calculation
The fi rst pull-down option is located at upper left in the dialog box and controls
which method is used to evaluate the bearings:
Check Calculation When you select a bearing from the list at the bottom of the
tab, its properties are displayed based on the loads specifi ed in the Loads group.
Bearing Design By also calculating the effect the loads will have on the life of
the bearing, this option fi lters the list further and makes it easier for you to
select the proper bearing.
Loads
It's critical that you enter the appropriate Radial and Axial loads as well as the
number of shaft rotations per minute that will occur, in order to validate the
bearings for selection.