A riveted cage is made of two stamped halves — steel or brass — joined by rivets that pass between the rolling elements. It is the standard construction for larger ball bearings because a single-piece stamped cage would be too flimsy at that diameter, and it is stronger than an interlocked cage of the same thickness.
A single-piece stamped cage has to be thin enough to form the pockets, which makes it flexible at large diameters. Two riveted halves can each be stiffer and still be assembled around the balls. That is why a 60 mm bore bearing usually has a riveted cage and a 20 mm bore bearing usually has a snapped one.
Riveted cages cannot be removed and refitted. Any inspection that requires taking the ball set out destroys the cage, and a replacement cage is rarely available as a spare. This matters in repair work: if a bearing needs to come apart for inspection, it will be replaced rather than reassembled.
| Construction | Two stamped halves, riveted through the ball gaps |
|---|---|
| Materials | Steel, brass, sometimes light alloy |
| Strength | Higher than an interlocked cage of equal thickness |
| Disassembly | Not possible without destroying the cage |
| Typical sizes | Medium to large ball bearings |
| Temperature | Material dependent — 150 °C steel, 250 °C brass |
| Cost | Low to moderate |
| Criterion | Riveted | Interlocked (snapped) | Machined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | Two halves + rivets | Two halves snapped | Cut from solid |
| Strength at large size | Good | Poor | Best |
| Assembly | Around the ball set | Snapped over the balls | One piece |
| Cost | Low | Lowest | High |
| Typical size | Medium to large | Small to medium | Any, usually large |
The default — cheap, strong, temperature-safe
Read →Machined brass — the high-end standard
Read →PA66 — quiet and cheap, 120 °C limit
Read →Resin-bonded fabric — highest speed
Read →One-piece snap-over retainer
Read →One-piece machined — for large roller bearings
Read →Practically no. The rivets are cut to remove it and spare cages are not supplied for standard bearings. The bearing is replaced as a unit.
Yes, at the same material thickness, which is why large bearings use it.
Not directly, but the rivet heads add a little mass and windage. At very high speed a machined cage is preferred.
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