Axial Ball Bearing

Due to their specific design, thrust bearings are ideal for low speeds with low centrifugal forces and high rigidity.

Compared to radial ball bearings, the contact angle of an axial bearing is increased to 90° so that only axial loads occur. The difference with this bearing is that all rolling elements bear equally.

There are two different types of thrust bearing: single-acting and double-acting thrust bearings.

The classic design of the thrust bearing is supplemented by special designs: axial angular contact ball bearings, swivel bearings or slewing rings. Axial bearings are often used in combination with radial bearings.

Axial forces require axial bearings

If the forces to be absorbed by a rolling bearing do not act radially, but in the direction of the axle or shaft, these are referred to as axial forces. In order to dissipate these forces, bearings with a fundamentally different design must be provided. These prevent displacement in the axial direction. Standard radial bearings are primarily designed to absorb radial forces, but they can also absorb small/medium axial forces. However, sometimes the axial forces are too large for this solution to be useful.

Unlike radial deep groove ball bearings, the load is distributed evenly across all rolling elements in axial bearings. Due to their special design, thrust bearings are particularly suitable for applications with low to medium speeds and where very high rigidity is required.

The areas of application can be divided into 2 cases:

• Example helical gearbox: Both radial and axial forces occur here. Therefore, a combination of radial and axial bearings is always required on a shaft. The same applies to machine tools and packaging machines.
• Example crane: Large forces occur primarily in the axial direction, in this case due to the crane's own weight and the loads to be lifted. This is a completely different load case: Above all, the shaft or axle must be secured against displacement in the axial direction. For this reason, the rolling elements are mounted or arranged differently here so that only compressive forces act on them.

Embodiments: Axial bearings are designed either in ring form, externally similar to radial bearings but with larger dimensions, or in disk form for higher loads. If rollers are required as rolling elements, however, the permissible speeds are very limited, as not only pure rolling friction occurs here. Here too, however, the radial loads must not be neglected; a combination of radial and axial bearings on one shaft is mandatory.

Types of axial bearings

• Axial deep groove ball bearings:: Keine Belastung in radialer Richtung; für höhere Drehzahlen geeignet.
• Axial cylindrical roller bearings: Very high load-bearing capacity in axial direction, insensitive to impact; also not load-bearing capacity in radial direction. Unsuitable for high speeds.
• Axial spherical roller bearing: Can absorb axial and radial forces, also suitable for higher speeds. Can compensate for misalignment. Very robust and widely used, even with very large dimensions.
• Axial needle roller bearings: Very flat design, ideally suited for particularly rigid and shock-resistant bearings with high axial forces.

Note:
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