The Common Types Of Bearings

Bearings are used to reduce mechanical friction. Although they are most widely known as important parts in various types of vehicles, bearings are also present in and play an important role in different kinds of equipment.

Types Of Bearings

Bearings are usually classified due to their primary use. The usual types are:

Ball bearings. The most well-known type of bearings, ball bearings are important components in nearly everything, from inline skates to hard drives. They can handle both radial and thrust loads and are commonly found in applications where the load is relatively small. With ball bearings, the load is transmitted from the outer race to the ball and from the ball to the inner race. Due to its spherical shape, it only contacts the inner and outer race at a very small point which helps it spin very smoothly.

Roller bearings.  This type of bearing is usually found in applications such as conveyer belt rollers where they can hold heavy radial loads. With roller bearings, the roller is cylindrical; as such, the contact between the inner and outer race is not a point but a line. This type of bearing is capable of handling greater loads than ball bearings since the load is spread out over a larger area.

Roller thrust bearings. These bearings are used to support large thrust loads. They are usually found in gear sets such as car transmissions between gears and between the housing and the rotating shafts.

Tapered roller bearings. This type of bearing can support large radial and large thrust loads. They are often used in car hubs where they are mounted in pairs facing opposite directions so that they can effectively handle thrust in both directions.

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