Rolling Contact Bearings and Its Types
“Anti-friction bearings”, otherwise known as rolling contact bearings, are those with low friction between the ball and inner and outer rings and are used for both radial and thrust loading. As a cheaper and easier to maintain bearing, they are very common and have a lot of different applications. Rolling contact bearings are divided into two different categories, ball bearing, and roller bearing, and from there they are further categorized by their features.
Common ball bearings include thrust ball bearings, deep groove bearings, angular contact ball bearings, and self-aligning ball bearings. Thrust ball bearings can only support thrust loads in one direction and no radial loads. Deep groove bearings can support thrust loads in both directors and no radial loads. Angular contact ball bearings can handle radial loads and large thrust loads in one direction. Self-aligning ball bearings are used when the alignment of the shaft and housing are problematic, they can handle only lower axial loads since the angle is small.
Common roller bearings include tapered roller bearings, needle roller bearings, spherical roller bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, and wheel hub bearings. Tapered roller bearings use tapered inner and outer rings in order to support thrust and radial loads. The ratio of thrust and radial loads is dependent on the angle between the roller and bearing axis. Needle roller bearings are usually used when radial space is limited. Spherical rollers are able to handle both axial and radial loads as a result of the angular contact between the rollers and raceways. They can also handle shaft misalignment as a result of the double set of rollers. Cylindrical roller bearings are used for large radial loads. And wheel hub bearings are used for the automotive industry to support the massive radial loads caused by the weight of automobiles.
While roller bearings are cheaper and easier to maintain, it does not mean that they do not need to be serviced and replaced regularly. In fact, because of the many applications of bearings, it’s important to check that all your bearings are still functional and safe to use during routine checks and inspections. If you need replacements, check us out at One Click Purchasing. One click is all takes to get all your bearing needs. Just call us at +1-412-212-0606 or email us at sales@oneclickpurchasing.com to get started.
