Bearing Types

From a small supermarket trolley to huge power plants, a great number of light-
duty, as well as industrial equipment, could not function without the use of
bearings in some form.

Bearings are a crucial tribological component of many types of machinery and

exist in a variety of forms and shapes. They can be defined as a machine
element that supports/permits only a specific type of motion (restriction of
degrees of freedom) in a system that may be under static or dynamic loading.

An example is a sliding door. The door cannot be lifted or removed from its place.
It only permits sliding to open it. The possible movement is restricted to sliding
motion by bearings.

What Is the Purpose of Bearings?

The main purpose of bearings is to prevent direct metal-to-metal contact
between two elements that are in relative motion. This prevents friction, heat
generation and ultimately, the wear and tear of parts. It also reduces energy
consumption as sliding motion is replaced with low-friction rolling.

They also transmit the load of the rotating element to the housing. This load may
be radial, axial, or a combination of both. A bearing also restricts the freedom of
movement of moving parts to predefined directions as discussed above.

Rolling Element Bearings

Rolling element bearings contain rolling elements in the shape of balls or
cylinders. We know that it is easier to roll a wheel than slide it on the ground as
the magnitude of rolling friction is lower than sliding friction. The same principle
is in work here. Rolling element bearings are used to facilitate the free
movement of parts in rotational motion.

Even when we need linear motion in applications, it is easy to convert rotational

motion to sliding motion. Consider an escalator or a conveyor. Even though the
motion is linear, it is powered by rollers that are driven by motors.

Another example is a reciprocating pump that can convert rotational energy

from a motor into translational motion with the help of linkages. In each of these
applications, ball bearings are used to support motor shafts as well as shafts of
other rollers in the assembly.
Rolling elements carry the load without much friction as the sliding friction is
replaced with rolling friction. Rolling element bearings can be subdivided into
two major types: ball bearings and roller bearings.

Ball Bearings
Ball bearings are one of the most common types of bearing classes used. It
consists of a row of balls as rolling elements. They are trapped between two
annulus-shaped metal pieces. These metal pieces are known as races. The inner
race is free to rotate while the outer race is stationary.

Ball bearings provide very low friction during rolling but have limited load-
carrying capacity. This is because of the small area of contact between the balls
and the races. They can support axial loads in two directions besides radial loads.

Ball bearings are used for controlling oscillatory and rotational motion. For
example, in electrical motors where the shaft is free to rotate but the motor
housing is not, ball bearings are used to connect the shaft to the motor housing.

Depending on the application, different types of ball bearings are available to

choose from.

Advantages of ball bearings:

• Good wear resistance

• Do not need much lubrication
• Provide low friction, thus little energy loss
• Long service life
• Easy to replace
• Small general dimensions
• Comparatively cheap
• Can handle thrust loads

Disadvantages of ball bearings:

• May break due to shocks

• Can be quite loud
• Cannot handle large weights
Deep Groove Ball Bearing

Deep groove ball bearings are the most widely used ball bearing
type. Trapped between the two races is a ring of balls that transmit the load and
allows rotational motion between the two races. The balls are held in place by a
retainer.

They have very low rolling friction and are optimized for low noise and low
vibration. This makes them ideal for high-speed applications.

They are comparatively easy to install and require minimal

maintenance. Care must be taken during installation to prevent
denting of the races as they have to be push fit onto shafts. Angular
Contact Ball Bearings
In this ball bearing type, the inner and outer races are displaced with respect to
each other along the bearing axis. Angular contact roller bearings are
designed to handle greater amounts of axial loads in both directions in
addition to radial loads.

Due to the shift in the inner and outer races, the axial load can be transferred
through the bearing to the housing. This bearing is suitable for applications
where rigid axial guidance is required.

Angular contact bearings are widely used in agricultural equipment,

automobiles, gearboxes, pumps, and other high-speed applications, such as CNC
machining tool spindles.

Self-aligning ball bearing

This type of ball bearing is immune to misalignment between the shaft and the
housing which may happen due to shaft deflection or mounting errors.

The inner ring has deep grooves similar to deep groove ball bearings followed by
two rows of balls and the outer ring. The outer ring has a concave shape and this
grants the inner ring some freedom to rearrange itself depending on the
misalignment.

Thrust Ball Bearings

Thrust ball bearings are a special type of ball bearings designed specifically
for axial loads. They cannot sustain radial loads at all.

Thrust ball bearings exhibit low noise, smooth operation and are capable of high-
speed applications.
They are available as single-direction or double-direction bearings and the
selection relies on whether the load is unidirectional or bidirectional.

When to Use Ball Bearings?

So let’s outline some of the working conditions that may require a ball bearing.

1. Thrust loads are present. Ball bearings’ design makes them capable of
withstanding axial loads.
2. No heavy loads. Due to having ball-shaped rolling elements, the bearings
concentrate all the force onto a few points of contact. This can result in
early failure with high loads.
3. High speeds. The ball bearing’s small point of contact also means less
friction. So there is less resistance to overcome and thus it is easier to
achieve high speeds with these types of bearings.

Roller Bearings

Roller bearings contain cylindrical rolling elements instead of balls as load-

carrying elements between the races. An element is considered a roller if
its length is longer than its diameter (even if only slightly). Since they are in
line contact with the inner and outer races (instead of point contact as in
the case of ball bearings), they can support greater loading.

Roller bearings are also available in various types. The appropriate type
may be selected after considering the type and magnitude of loading,
 service conditions, and the possibility of misalignment among other
factors.

Roller Bearings
Roller bearings contain cylindrical rolling elements instead of balls as load-
carrying elements between the races. An element is considered a roller if its
length is longer than its diameter (even if only slightly). Since they are in line
contact with the inner and outer races (instead of point contact as in the case of
ball bearings), they can support greater loading.

Roller bearings are also available in various types. The appropriate type may be
selected after considering the type and magnitude of loading, service conditions,
and the possibility of misalignment among other factors.

Advantages of roller bearings:

• Easy maintenance
• Low friction
• Can take high radial loads
• Tapered roller bearings can withstand high axial loads
• Great accuracy
• Used to adjust the axial displacement
• Low vibrations

Disadvantages of roller bearings:

• Noisy
• Quite expensive
Cylindrical Roller Bearings

Cylindrical roller bearings are the simplest of the roller bearings family. These
bearings can face the challenges of heavy radial loading and high speed. They
also offer excellent stiffness, axial load transmission, low friction, and long service
duration.

The load capacity can be increased further by obviating the use of cages or
retainers that are usually in place to hold the cylindrical rollers. This permits the
fitting of more rollers to carry the load.

They are available as single-row, double-row and four-row types. They also come
in split and sealed variants.

Split variants are used for areas that are difficult to access such as engine
crankshafts. In sealed variants, the bearing contamination is prevented and the
lubricant is retained making it a maintenance-free option.

Spherical Roller Bearings

Heavy radial and axial loads can be a greater challenge when the shaft is prone
to misalignment.

This situation can be handled very well by spherical roller bearings. Spherical
roller bearings have high load-carrying capacities and can manage
misalignment between the shaft and housing. This reduces maintenance
costs and improves service life.

Spherical roller bearing raceways are inclined at an angle to the bearing axis.
Instead of straight sides, the rollers have spherical sides that fit onto the spherical
raceways and accommodate small misalignments.

Spherical roller bearings have a wide range of use cases. They are used in
applications where heavy loads, moderate to high speeds and possible
misalignment occur. Some examples are off-road vehicles, pumps, mechanical
fans, marine propulsion, wind turbines, and gearboxes.

Tapered Roller Bearings

The tapered roller bearing contains sections of a cone as a load-carrying element.
These rollers fit between the two races that are also sections of a hollow cone. If
the races and the axes of rollers were extended, they would all meet at a
common point.

Tapered roller bearings are designed to handle higher axial loads besides radial
loads. The larger the half-angle of this common cone, the more axial load it can
sustain. Thus they work as thrust bearings as well as radial load bearings.

Tapered roller bearings are used in back-to-back pairs so that axial forces can be
supported equally in either direction.

Needle Roller Bearings

Needle roller bearing is a special type of roller bearing that has cylindrical rollers
that resemble needles because of their small diameter.
Normally, the length of rollers in roller bearings is only slightly more than its
diameter. When it comes to needle bearings, the length of rollers exceeds their
diameter by at least four times.

As needle roller bearings have a smaller diameter, more rollers can be fit in the
same space which increases the surface area in contact with the races. Thus,
they are capable of handling high loads. The small size can also prove helpful in
applications where space is limited as they require smaller clearances between
the axle and the housing.

Needle bearings are used in automobile components such as transmission and

rocker arm pivots. They are also used in compressors and pumps.

Thrust Roller Bearings

Thrust roller bearings are designed to sustain high axial loads and are
available with three types of rollers: cylindrical, tapered and spherical. These
bearings offer high axial rigidity and are well-suited for heavy loads.

Cylindrical roller thrust bearings have good axial load-carrying capacity and are
relatively cheap. These bearings should be avoided if there are any radial loads
present. Compared to thrust ball bearings they tend to wear quicker due to
higher friction. They are not suited for high speeds due to the differential sliding
of the rollers.

Tapered roller thrust bearings can tolerate slight eccentricity that occurs
between the shaft and housing during operation. There is no real difference
between tapered roller thrust bearings and tapered roller bearings and the
amount of axial loads these bearings can tolerate, alongside radial loads,
depends on the half angles of the cones. They can support greater thrust loads
than thrust ball bearings due to the larger contact area but are more expensive
to manufacture.

Spherical roller thrust bearings are designed to take heavy axial loads in one
direction and accommodate some radial loads as well. They are self-aligning and
are thus unaffected by mounting errors and shaft deflection.

When to Use Roller Bearings?

Roller bearings are the most common alternative to ball bearings. So let’s
determine what kind of working conditions are best suited for this type of
bearing.

1. Heavy loads. Roller bearings provide a considerably larger area of contact,

distributing the load more evenly. Thus, they are less prone to failure and
can withstand high forces.
2. Lower speeds. This, again, comes down to the contact area. There is more
friction which can result in higher temperature generation and quicker
wear.

Plain Bearings

A plain bearing is the simplest type of bearing. It usually only consists of a

bearing surface. There are no rolling elements.

The bearing is basically a sleeve mounted on the shaft and it fits into the bore,
thus it is sometimes referred to as a sleeve bearing. Plain bearings are
inexpensive, compact and lightweight. They have high load-carrying capacity.
Plain bearings are used for rotational, sliding, reciprocating or oscillatory motion.
The bearing remains fixed while the journal slides on the bearing’s inner surface.
To facilitate smooth movement, material pairs with low coefficients of friction are
selected. Different types of copper alloys, for example, are pretty common.

This bearing can accommodate some misalignment, multi-directional

movements, and is suitable for static as well as dynamic loads. Plain bearings are
used extensively in applications in the agriculture, automotive, marine, and
construction industries.

The gudgeon pin that connects the piston to the connecting rod in diesel
engines is connected through a plain bearing.

The spherical bearing is also a plain bearing, although it consists of 2 parts – the inner
ring and the outer ring. Although it looks similar to ball and roller bearings from the
outset, they have no rolling elements between the two rings.

Fluid Bearings
Fluid bearings rely on pressurised gas or liquid to carry the load and
eliminate friction. These bearings are used to replace metallic bearings in
applications where they would have a short life in addition to high noise and
vibration levels.

They are also increasingly being used to cut costs. Fluid bearings are used in
machines that work at high speeds and loads. While the initial costs are higher,
the longer lifespan in tough conditions makes up for it in the longer run.

When the machine is running, there is zero contact between the two elements
(except during the start and stop) and hence it is possible to achieve near zero
wear with fluid bearings.

Fluid bearings are classified into two types: hydrostatic and hydrodynamic
bearings.

Hydrostatic Bearings

In this type, an externally pressurised fluid is forced between two elements that
are in relative motion. The pressurised fluid forms a wedge between the moving
parts and keeps them apart. The fluid layer may be very thin but as long as there
is no direct contact, there will not be any wear.
The fluid is circulated by means of a pump. The exit orifice diameter may be
adjustable to ensure the fluid is always under pressure at all shaft speeds and
loads. Thus, precise gap control is possible.

Hydrodynamic Bearings

This type of bearing utilises the motion of the journal to force the fluid between
the shaft and the housing. The journal motion sucks the lubricating fluid
between the moving parts creating a constant wedge.

This, however, means that during start-stop as well as at low loads and speeds,
the wedge formation may not be good enough to prevent wear. Only at
designed speeds will the system work exactly as needed.

Magnetic Bearings

Magnetic bearings use the concept of magnetic levitation to hold the shaft
mid-air. As there is no physical contact, magnetic bearings are zero-wear
bearings. There is also no limitation on the maximum amount of relative speed it
can handle.

Magnetic bearings can also accommodate some irregularities in shaft design as

the shaft’s position is automatically adjusted based on its centre of mass. Thus, it
may be offset to one side but will still function just as satisfactorily.
They are broadly classified into two types: Active and passive magnetic bearings.

Active Magnetic Bearings

Active magnetic bearings use electromagnets around the shaft to maintain its
position. If a change in position is picked up by sensors, the system adjusts the
amount of current being fed to the system and returns the rotor to its original
position.

Passive Magnetic Bearing

Passive magnetic bearings use permanent magnets to maintain a magnetic

field around the shaft. This means there is no power input needed. The system is,
however, difficult to design due to limitations as this technology is still in its early
stages.

In many cases, the two types of magnetic bearings may be used in tandem
where the permanent magnets handle the static loading while the
electromagnets are used to maintain the position to a high degree of accuracy.