What Are Tapered Roller Bearings?

For applications that require moving parts that rely on the rotational motion of shafts, a roller bearing should be employed to mitigate movement. Roller bearings allow for additional support and reduced friction within such mechanisms. As they are common components in many systems across various industry verticals, roller bearings are available in a vast array of designs to fit different applications. When you are looking for certain aviation applications, such as aircraft fuel pumps, the best option is a tapered roller bearing, those of which contain an inner ring, outer ring, and a number of tapered rollers. Shaped like a cone, these mechanisms are able to withstand heavy axial and radial loads. As such, they are quite versatile, so this blog will explore the workings of tapered roller bearings for your better knowledge for various applications.

Unlike other roller bearing designs, tapered roller bearings have rollers with two differently sized end diameters, thus creating the cone shape. The inner raceways surrounding the rollers are also narrowed at one end, while the outer cup is not tapered and instead meets the rollers at an angle. The dimensional properties of these cones ensure that loads are uniformly stressed across the bearing, allowing for high reliability. The higher the angle formed between rollers and the outer cup, the greater the ability to handle thrust loads. On the other hand, lower angles allow for better handling of radial loads. Depending on your needs, you can procure different varieties of tapered roller bearings with angles that best correspond to your applications, including axial-only loads, multiple roller rows for bidirectional movement, and axial-radial loads.

Tapered roller bearings with two rows are good options for mechanisms that require bidirectional movement, so one can procure this design in a few styles. Double-cone and double-cup styles are designs where two cones either face each other or face away from one another to allow for greater movement. Tandem roller bearings simply include additional rows when one row of rollers is not enough to handle the job. Finally, Spacer-assembled double-row bearings are any two single-row bearings which have been compiled into a single assembly by the use of spacers and hardware. Those bearings which utilize two pairs of tapered roller rows are valued for their exceptional bidirectional load-bearing capabilities, as well as the roller orientation permutations available.

Tapered roller bearings also vary in design based on their cages, lubrication, and seals. Cages are often tapered at lesser angles than their paired rollers. Lubrication options are available in synthetic oils, dry films, and greases, all of which work well in different conditions. Seals work to prevent the loss of lubrication, and some work to increase friction, while others have no effect on friction whatsoever.

When looking to procure a tapered roller bearing, some aspects to keep in mind are its lifespan, speed capabilities, torque, deflection, and the temperature of its environment. All of these factors will determine how well your bearing operates in your specific application. Regardless of the design you require, we have you covered at Purchasing Synergy, an ASAP Semiconductor owned and operated purchasing platform. We are a leading online supplier of tapered roller bearings as well as additional roller bearing types, and much more. With access to an ever-expanding inventory of over 2 billion new, used, obsolete, and hard-to-find parts, we are your trusted procurement partner for all you require. As we source only from manufacturers we trust on our Approved Vendor List (AVL), you can rest assured that any order placed with us will be of the highest-caliber. With quality at the cornerstone of our operations, we also offer around-the-clock services for our loyal customers with dedicated market professionals available to answer your calls and emails 24/7x365. Kickoff the procurement process today by submitting a completed Request for Quote form to receive a tailored quotation in 15 minutes or less for your comparisons!