Tapered Roller Bearings

Tapered roller bearings primarily withstand combined radial and axial loads, with load capacity determined by the outer ring's raceway angle—the larger the angle, the higher the load capacity. Single-row tapered roller bearings have a cone angle between 10° and 19°. Double-row tapered roller bearings feature a larger cone angle between 25° and 29°, enabling them to bear greater axial loads. Four-row tapered roller bearings offer higher radial load capacity than double-row types but with slightly lower maximum speeds, primarily used in heavy-duty machinery. Sealed double and four-row tapered roller bearings typically increase lifespan by 20% to 40% and reduce lubricant consumption by 80% compared to open structure bearings.

Single Tapered Roller Bearings

Single row tapered roller bearings are especially suitable for bearing combined loads (radial and axial). The axial load of these bearings depends on the contact angle. They are usually installed in pairs. In this case, proper internal clearance can be obtained by adjusting the axial distance between the inner or outer rings of the two opposing bearings. Single row tapered roller bearings are available in both metric and inch sizes.

Double Tapered Roller Bearings

AUB double row tapered roller bearings are available in a variety of designs and can also be customized to meet your specific speed, load, contamination, temperature or vibration conditions.AUB tapered roller bearings have an outer and inner ring assembly. The outer ring is composed of the outer ring, and the cone assembly is composed of the inner ring, rollers and cage. This bearing construction accommodates combined loads and provides low friction during operation. Rigid bearing applications can be achieved by adjusting one single row tapered roller bearing relative to the second and applying a preload.

Four-row Tapered Roller Bearings

The design of four-row tapered roller bearings is particularly suited for taking extreme combined (radial and axial) loads at low to medium speeds. The axial load capacity depends primarily on the contact angle. The greater the angle, the greater axial load capacity. The four-row design ensures optimal load distribution between all four rows of rolling elements.For highly contaminated operations with insufficient lubrication, sealed four-row tapered roller bearings are recommended. They have a very long service life even with an extremely high load capacity.

Matched Tapered Roller Bearings

AUBEARING takes special consideration of the inherent geometric dimensions, contact angle, number of rollers and bearing environment of the bearings in the design and manufacture of matched tapered roller bearings. This pairing can be achieved in various ways, such as preload, axial clearance optimization, etc., to improve the accuracy and performance of the bearing assembly. According to application requirements, matched tapered roller bearings have different designs and variants: matched bearings arranged face to face, matched bearings arranged back to back, and matched bearings arranged in series.

Thrust Tapered Roller Bearings

Tapered roller thrust bearings are designed to to carry axial loads with no radial load carrying capacity. They comprise of a shaft washer, a housing washer, and a roller and cage assembly and are separable. These bearings have raceways on the face the washers.By default, AUB tapered roller thrust bearings are equipped with a solid brass cage (suffix: M). Other cage designs are available on request or chosen for specific applications and labelled accordingly on the bearing.

AUBEARING manufactures over 15,000 models of tapered roller bearings, including single-row, double-row, four-row, matched, and thrust tapered roller bearings. Customization options include metric or imperial measurements, materials, cage types, precision grades, clearance, and lubrication. Tapered roller bearings consist of inner and outer rings that accommodate rolling elements. The rollers taper to a conical shape. The corresponding raceways in contact with the rollers are angled to accommodate their tapered form. The rollers themselves are held in a cage that fits the inner and outer rings.

What types of loads can tapered roller bearings withstand?

The angled and tapered shape of tapered roller bearings minimizes the stresses created by a combination of radial and axial loads. Radial and axial loads are often combined to create different loads on the bearing assembly. The ability to handle angular loads and vary angular loads - makes tapered roller bearings indispensable in a variety of technical designs and industries. The taper basically concentrates the radial and axial loads into a more easily exploitable unified load. Which angular loads can be utilized depends on the precise angle of the tapered bearing. They can utilize various forces by configuring two or more tapered bearings.

The steepness of the roller bearing slope increases the thrust/axial load it can carry, while the shallower angle increases the radial load capacity. As the radial load increases, the bearings experience greater stress on the sides of the bearing raceway. The shallower angle minimizes pressure, which reduces stress on the rollers. The increased axial load contributes to the stress applied to the top of the roller. A steeper angle distributes the pressure more into the center of the bearing and less into the rollers themselves.

5 Types of Tapered Roller Bearings

Single row tapered roller bearings: support high loads and maintain precise clearance.

Double row tapered roller bearings: support high loads and offer improved stiffness compared to single row bearings.

Four-row tapered roller bearings: designed to support high radial and axial loads in applications such as rolling mills.

Matched tapered roller bearings: provide high load-carrying capacity and improved accuracy in machine tool spindle applications.

Thrust Tapered Roller Bearings: support heavy axial loads and have high load-carrying capacity.

Single-row Tapered Roller Bearings:

Inner Diameter Range: 20mm to 1270mm
Outer Diameter Range: 40mm to 1465mm
Width Range: 15mm to 240mm

Double-row Tapered Roller Bearings:

Inner Diameter Range: 38mm to 1560mm
Outer Diameter Range: 70mm to 1800mm
Width Range: 50mm to 460mm

Four-row Tapered Roller Bearings:

Inner Diameter Range: 130mm to 1600mm
Outer Diameter Range: 200mm to 2000mm
Width Range: 150mm to 1150mm

Tolerances:

Metric tapered roller bearings precision grades: P6X, P6, P5, P4, P2
Inch tapered roller bearings precision grades: CL2, CL3, CL0, CL00

Cage Types:

Tapered roller bearings typically use stamped steel sheet cages, but for larger sizes, solid piloted machined cages are also employed:

Stamped steel sheet cages are used when the outer diameter D ≤ 650mm.
Solid piloted steel cages are used when the outer diameter D > 650mm.

Suffixes:

A: Internal structure change
B: Increased contact angle
X: External dimensions conform to international standards
CD: Double outer ring, with oil holes or grooves
TD: Double inner ring, with tapered bore

Contact angles

Generally, angles of 10° to 19° are common for applications with heavy radial loads. For anything less than 10°, you should consider the need for a full thrust roller bearing and investigate whether significant radial forces are present. 20° and 24° are a good balance as the axial load increases (radial load decreases). This angle is small enough that radial loads still do not put extreme stress on the bearing, but steep enough to handle axial loads more efficiently. For larger axial loads, an angle between 25° and 29° is required, and this is the point where radial loads create more wear and shorten component life. Still, it is powerful enough to handle highly mixed radial and axial combined loads simultaneously.

Application And Uses Of Tapered Roller Bearings

The taper angles allow the bearing to handle a combination of radial and thrust loads. It is suitable for carrying heavy loads.
Single row tapered roller bearings will be usually employed in applications that require mixed loads. Single row roller bearings may be utilized in sets. Single row roller bearings are able to be set up face-to-face, back-to-back, or in tandem to provide specific benefits based on the operating conditions.
Double row tapered roller bearings are commonly employed in roll mills and hoisting machines, and machines used in mining industries.
The four-row tapered roller bearings are utilized for the majority of work roll applications like rolling mills.