Spherical roller bearings are incredibly robust pieces of
engineering. They are specifically designed to withstand the harshest operating
conditions while meeting stringent requirements. They are commonly found in
applications such as printing presses, paper mills, rail vehicles, wind
turbines, mining and construction machinery, continuous casting equipment,
pumps, and more.
Rolling machines used to bend sheet metal are a great
example of where these bearings are used. Here, the design feature of
symmetrical rollers benefits the forming and bending of sheet metal. It allows
sheet metal to be bent into various types of cylindrical and curved shapes.
This movement is similar to the operation of printing presses and paper mills.
The design offset of the spherical
plain bearings provides the additional precision needed to move machines
during operation.
This type of bearing was first introduced by SKF in 1919 and
has been refined over the years to increase load carrying capacity and reduce
operating friction.
Design features and advantages:
- Symmetrical rollers
The rollers in these bearings are essential and play a major
role in bearing performance. Rollers generally increase the load-carrying capacity of a bearing by distributing the load along the length of the roller.
This is because rollers have greater surface contact with the inner and outer
rings compared to balls. The rollers in these bearings also self-align, which
also contributes to load distribution.
- Misalignment
By design, spherical roller bearings are self-aligning,
meaning they are insensitive to misalignment caused by shaft deflection. This
is due to the spherical shape of the rollers and the spherical inner profile of
the outer ring.
- Vibrating applications
SKF and FAG each have a range of spherical roller bearings
for vibrating applications. The bearings have the same basic dimensions and
performance, but they also have C4 radial internal clearance as standard. The
suffixes for this specification are VA405 and T41D, respectively.
- Lubrication
Spherical roller bearings usually have an annular groove and
lubrication holes. At SKF, this is now standard on E-design bearings, so no
suffix is required; this also applies to all FAG spherical roller bearings.
- Sealed design
Sealed spherical roller bearings have a contacting seal that
is reinforced on both sides with a steel plate insert. SKF offers these seals
in three different materials, each with a slightly different suffix. The sealed
bearings use a minimum of lubricant and require less maintenance than the open
bearings.
SKF currently has the widest range of spherical roller
bearings on the market, ranging from 20 mm to 1800 mm inside diameter.
If you are struggling with a breakdown or have a need for
this type of product, please contact our knowledgeable sales team who will be
happy to help.
