Bearings

A mechanical device designed to reduce friction in a part of a machine where another part turns or slides.

Types of Bearing

Selection of Bearing Type

The following points are a guide to applications to which the various types of bearings are best suited:

  1. Ball bearings are generally used for small to medium size loads and are suitable for high speed operation.
  2. Roller bearings are preferable for large or relatively heavy loaded applications or if the bearings are liable to shock loading or vibration.
  3. If good alignment between shaft and housing cannot be guaranteed, self-aligning ball bearings or spherical roller bearings are to be preferred and in some cases are essential.
  4. Ball thrust bearings are intended to carry thrust loads only. At high speeds a deep groove or angular contact bearing is generally more suitable even under relatively heavy thrust loads.
  5. Rigid roller journal bearings cannot carry thrust loads since they are designed to permit axial displacement of the shaft within certain limits.
  6. A single self-aligning bearing cannot support a tilting movement.
  7. Spherical roller thrust bearings, in addition to very heavy thrust loads, can carry considerable simultaneously acting radial loads.
  8. Spherical roller bearings and taper roller bearings are useful for dealing with heavy combined radial and thrust loads, whilst deep groove and angular contact ball bearings serve the same purpose in lighter load applications.
  9. Needle roller bearings are useful in lightly loaded applications where it is desirable to have as small an outside diameter as possible.
  10. Separable bearings, i.e. taper roller bearings and single row angular contact bearings, must have both inner and outer races located axially. These types of bearings should only be used on short shafts which are not subject to appreciable alterations in length due to temperature variation.
Once the type of bearing to be used has been selected with regard to application, the bearing size can be determined by the nature and magnitude of loads and the requirement with regard to speed, life and reliability. Factors in bearing Selection

Relative movement between machine components

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Pages created by David Price - 9/08/95
This Information is an educational resource and is not to be reproduced (other than for private study) without written consent of the University of Southampton. copyright © Dave Whatley 1995
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