LLG Spherical Roller Bearings

LLG Spherical Roller Bearings can carry heavy load, rotate with low friction, and can accommodate angular misalignment. LLG Spherical Roller Bearings can be commonly used in Gearboxes, Wind Turbines, Pumps, Mechanical fans and blowers, Continuous casting machines, Material handling, Pulp and paper processing equipment, mining and construction equipment.

Spherical roller bearings are also suitable for bearing heavy loads and impact loads, and are widely used in metallurgy, rolling mills,petroleum, cement, sugar extraction and other industries.

If you buy Spherical Roller Bearings from LLG, you’ll find they are capable of strong load capacity, and supportive for both high dynamic or static load. Besides, if the Spherical Roller Bearings are working under high-speed environment, we will recommend you the suitable lubricants. Different lubricants can support your bearings with different rotation speed.

If you need the Spherical Roller Bearings has rust-proof capacity, we can recommend you the suitable one as well.

What’s more, different materials retainers are available for your choices as well, including brass, bronze, or steel. If you want your Spherical Roller Bearings to accommodate both radial load from any direction and heavy impact load, LLG would be your idea bearings.

All LLG Spherical Roller Bearings are produced by advanced CNC automatic production machine, automation assembly line, and advanced testing equipment. All these makes the Spherical Roller Bearings with stable performances and ensured quality. Just send us your inquiries!

 

 

An Ultimate Guide to Spherical Roller Bearing

 

Spherical Roller Bearings Introduction

 

The spherical roller bearings offered a new inflection point to engineering in 1919. And it entirely changed the employment of mechanical Bearings.

 

Engineers started using these spherical roller bearings in heavy to moderate load mechanisms. Then, gradually they expanded the horizon of their application.

 

Today, roller bearings are an integral part of machining in marine propulsion, paper milling, sugar, mining, and construction industries.

 

What Are Spherical Roller Bearings?

 

Spherical Roller Bearings Definition

 

Spherical roller bearings have two rollers, unlike conventional bearings. Both the rollers of these Spherical bearings run parallel in two raceways. The rollers look like barrels.

 

One raceway forms base on the inner ring, and the other remains on the outer ring circle.

 

The spherical roller bearings come with a variety of roller profiles. You can choose the barrel profiles bases on their potential deployment.

 

The spherical bearings can quickly adapt to demanding situations. They can automatically adjust to significant deviations and self-align.

 

The bearings offer the best results when you operate them at medium speed. Lower the rate better it is for their smooth operation.

 

When you keep the pace at low to medium, you can avoid any potential misalignment with the help of these spherical roller bearings.

 

What Are the Benefits of Spherical Roller Bearing?

 

 

We mentioned the self-aligning properties of Spherical roller bearings, but these bearings are much more than that.

 

There is a reason why their invention led to a renaissance in mechanical engineering. Let’s briefly look at what else these bearings bring to the table.

 

• The spherical roller bearings don’t separate. It’s their design that makes it possible.
• They can quickly adapt to the loads that come radially and are significant.
• They can comfortably carry small to heavy amounts of axial loads in each direction of their operation.

 

Also, the customized spherical roller bearings are readily available in the market. It makes these roller bearings even more effective and employable for a variety of applications. Let’s see how it works.

 

• You get the flexibility to choose the clearances.
• Moreover, you can get spherical roller bearings for various heat operations.
• You can choose the material of bearings.
• You can customize lubrication on bearings.

 

The spherical roller bearings comprehensively solve the issue of flexible deployment. And curated bearings are icing on the cake, which makes operations more efficient.

 

What Is the Difference Between Normal Ball Bearing and Spherical Roller Bearing?

 

Well, if we talk about spherical roller bearing, it’s a cylindrical unit that offers low-friction movement. At the same time, a ball bearing represents a spherical unit. Both do the task bushing and block bearing, but they achieve their objective entirely differently.

 

Conventional ball bearings rely solely on rolling for bushing processes. They have a dedicated carrier that separates spherical elements of ball bearings.

 

Once they set, the inner race of the bearing holds a shaft while the outer race finds a place in the housing. Ball bearings connect in patches called contact points.

 

Every ball in the standard bearing touches the races at the contact point, a tiny patch. That means not all the balls of all bearing are in the game at the time of their operation.

 

The balls bearings do not have a definitive life. Manufacturers design and market them according to their shelf life.

 

They will tell you a rough estimate about the number of times they can run without falling. The significant factors that lead to their deterioration are spalling, and times it also fatigues.

 

Another crucial factor that directly relates to these ball bearings’ durability is their alignment to the shaft. If they align well, bearings will last longer.

 

But when they operate with even slight misalignment, the life of ball bearings gets significantly shorter.  It is because they are not the bearings that can self-align.

 

Spherical roller bearings also have the same construction as ball bearings. But they do not contain themselves to just point of contact. They have a comprehensive line of contact.

 

The access to the whole line-of-contact makes them fetch more capacity. Also, spherical roller bearings are better at absorbing shocks.

 

As discussed earlier in a section, these bearings give a lot more flexibility in terms of choice. The roller bearings are available in multiple shapes. The likes of the spherical needle, cylindrical, tapered bearings are most popular among the lot.

 

That’s considerable leverage that you get with these bearings over standard bearings. If we look at the accommodation factor, the spherical bearings outclass all other shapes in its peer group.

 

Not only they auto-adjust to misalignments, but also they offer superior thrust.

 

 How Does Spherical Roller Bearing Work?

 

 

The rotation speed is critical for the proper functioning of spherical roller bearings. If you run the shaft at a very high rotation rate, you may not get desired results.

 

The design of these bearings does not align with high friction. When operated at a lower rotational speed, they support the shaft very well. If the shaft in the bore is not aligned, it will adjust it aligning with the outer ring.

 

There are many subcategories in spherical roller barrings, but they all work on the same principle. The inner ring will always create a sliding surface for convex.

 

The differentiator for roller bearing remains its sliding surface. Some sliding surfaces have a ring-to-ring setup with simple spherical bearings. At the same time, some manufacturers prefer to use rollers on these sliding surfaces.

 

What Are Spherical Roller Bearings Used For in Industries?

 

Initially, we mentioned the industries where spherical roller bearings find their applications. Let’s have a slightly deeper look and understand how these industries employ these spherical roller bearings.

 

#1. Steel Industry

 

Spherical roller bearings play a very vital role in running the steel industry smoothly. The bearings are an excellent companion of roller tables. They significantly reduce the reliance on continuous lubrication.

 

It helps steel plants and other steel enterprises to reduce their operations costs, as they don’t have to spend on constant relubrication.

 

Also, when steel industries employ them in casting matching, spherical roller bearings help them reduce the cost of greasing. The bearings deny any potential chance of premature failures.

 

How these spherical rollers bearings change the way the steel plants operate is impressive per se.

 

One of the prominent examples that come up is their usage in casting machines. Estimates say the bearings almost double the life-size of the machines.

 

The spherical roller bearing that you get in the market today is very tough. It stands tall even in the harshest of conditions. They give extra work-life to equipment like gearboxes and line-shafting solutions.

 

All of it put together gives manufacturers extra confidence to diversify their resources. Because when they put spherical roller bearings in the game, they don’t have to worry about any accidental failures.

 

#2. Paper-cutting Industry

 

The spherical roller bearings participate in one of the most challenging mechanical operations in the paper milling industry. Manufacturers deploy spherical roller bearings on the wet end of paper machines.

 

Also, the spherical bearings help remove the water from the surface. They accomplish their goal without any additional support from purging bearings that run on continuous grease.

 

When spherical bearing makers have access to quality steel, they make the dryer section even more robust. They deny something prevalent with standard bearings. It’s the common fracture of the inner ring.

 

It is disastrous for the paper milling industry, as these premature failures halt the operation altogether. And it is not possible to manually track the condition of the inner ring, unlike fatigue spalling.

 

Spherical roller bearings technically allow the industry to eliminate the probability of sudden failures up to a great extent.

 

Not all paper milling industries operate at a scale that they can absorb unforeseen costs and be ready for any eventuality all the time. The fact itself is a testament to how vital the spherical roller bearings are for the industry’s survival.

 

#3. Quarrying and Mining Industry

 

The quarrying industry focuses on extracting critical minerals from the surface. So, they need bearing, which does necessarily need to not comply with any standard.

 

They need bearings that they can operate at higher speeds and that too with a heavy load. As we stated earlier, the spherical roller bearing offers the most value when you operate them at a slower pace. But here, the demand is entirely different.

 

They need to operate at a fast pace and still give protection with misalignment. That’s when the feature of customizability of spherical roller bearings comes to the rescue.

 

The mining and quarrying industry uses spherical roller bearings in heavy equipment like crushers and mills in the quarrying and mining industry.

 

So, the customization will happen on two fronts, first the material and then the size. Despite all these challenges, these spherical roller bearings always do justice to their role.

 

 What Kind of Loads Can a Spherical Roller Bearing Support?

 

Spherical roller bearings can take heavy loads due to their perfect design, involving rings’ alignment. Let’s check out how!

 

First of all, spherical roller bearings are pretty helpful in many applications that require shock-resistant components. They feature a curved outer ring.

 

This curved outer ring not only offers self-aligning capabilities but also helps carry a high amount of loads. Spherical roller bearings can sustain very high radial and axial loads, even in lots of vibration and a severe environment.

 

Moreover, spherical roller bearings also feature a couple of roller rows. You will notice that these rows have a slight bend at opposite angles. As a result, it helps withstand thrust load, irrespective of direction.

 

Bearing designers can modify the design to make the spherical roller bearings handle particular situations, such as supporting only radial loads.

 

In this case, the designers use the same boundary to include only a single row of rollers. These rollers will have even larger diameters.

 

So, this modification can help improve the radial load capacity of bearings and also decreases thrust capacity.

 

In short, the spherical roller bearings can support considerable axial and radial load both. From a buyer’s perspective, one thing you need to be careful about is their rated life.

 

Note that the mounting arrangements can also make a significant impact when it comes to the load capacity. Apart from this, proper lubrication is also crucial.

 

Lubricating the bearings right is very crucial. If you are employing them at sealing, it will help if you grease them generously. Greased spherical roller bearings offer protection from moisture.

 

Also, in the wet section, it is always good to go with grease lubrication. For other sections, oil lubrication does the job. Better lubrication always assists load support.

 

Now you know that spherical roller bearings can take a substantial amount of radial and axial loads.

 

Besides, many companies use chrome steel, brass, sheet steel, and even polyamide to make these bearings. It attests robust nature and the load-bearing capability of spherical roller bearings.

 

Are The Spherical Roller Bearings Self-Aligning?

 

Self-Aligning Spherical Roller Bearings

 

The spherical roller bearings can adjust to even severe misalignments. They perfectly comply with the definition of self-aligning bearings.

 

More particularly, engineers prefer to use spherical roller bearings where misalignments exist or work where potential misalignments exist. The bearings can adjust to both mounting as well as shaft deflections.

 

It’s a fact that self-aligning feature has limited use if they can’t resist to shocks. The spherical roller bearings do justice to that as well. They show good resistance to shock loads, makes them a perfect self-aligning bearing.

 

Their auto-alignment feature challenges double-row ball bearings; the bearings are famous for their self-alignment. But they can’t handle as heavy loads as spherical roller bearings.

 

The spherical roller bearings manage to align so well with the shaft because their center of curvature always matches with the axis of bearings.

 

 How Do You Find the Spherical Roller Bearing Number?

 

The bearing number of a spherical roller bearing is a composition of two variables. It includes a primary number and supplementary code.

 

The supplementary code indicates all the specifications of spherical bearings. The specification could be anything from running accuracy, bearing type, dimension to internal clearance.

 

There is a dedicated table, “bearing series code,” which features all the standard bearing codes. The codes featured in this table are applicable across industries.

 

You can easily access the ‘code list’ from the manufacturer. Also, you can ask for a bearing number configuration table. The configuration table features the list of orders.

 

With the help of this list, you can arrange the parts and align your spherical roller bearing.

 

How to Check Spherical Roller Bearing Clearance?

 

 

There are many ways to measure the clearance in spherical roller bearings. But the method that stands out is the feeler gauge method. It gives the closest values if you compare it to other clearance measurement methods.

 

The method that comes close to the feeler gauge in terms of accuracy is the limit gauge. But the problem with limit gauge is that you cannot attain definite clearance values.

 

That’s where it fails. So, let’s focus on something that’s effective and offers more practical solutions.

 

Though, the feeler gauge method is simple and readily employable. But at times, it gets confusing if a practitioner uses it for the first time. To make it easier for you, we discuss all the steps in slightly greater detail.

 

Step 1: Measuring the Clearance

 

First, you need to measure the clearance between the outer ring of the spherical roller bearing to each roller of the bearing. Make sure you use a large feeler gauge, so the access doesn’t become a deterrence.

 

All the rollers should pass through the feeler gauge. It happens very often that only three rollers pass through the gauge. If it occurs with you as well, don’t confuse yourself. Just set the feeler gauge at its maximum radial position relative to the spherical roller bearings.

 

Now, when you clear the test. Take a smaller feeler and repeat the measurement process. Again, if only three rollers pass through the feeler gauge. Set the thickness of the small feeler gauge at its minimum radial position.

 

Step 2: Measuring the Radial Clearance

 

If you want to measure the radial clearance of spherical roller bearings with the movable center, again, the feeler gauge is the tool for you. But for radial measurement, the selection of feeler gauge becomes very critical. You need to select the feeler gauge aligning with the size of the bearing.

 

Start the measurement by plugging in the roller with the outer raceway of the bearing. You can also connect the cage components of the spherical roller bearing. Once three rollers pass through the gauge, and there is scope for another. You are at the highest radial clearance.

 

With the feeler gauge, you can also test radial clearance of sizeable spherical roller bearings. No matter if the center of the bearing is adjustable. The feeler gauge will help you inspect clearance with correct values. Like any other clearance test, you need a test for both maximum and minimum.

 

Step 3: Note the Maximum and Minimum Clearances

 

When you are testing for maximum, you need to measure each roller’s circumference. The gauge should fit perfectly, and there should be no gap between the feeler gauge and roller.

 

Ideally, it would allow passing three rollers. Once the three rollers pass, you can widen the feeler gauge.

 

When you measure the clearance for the minimum, the feeler gauge sets to its minimum. In an ideal scenario, it would not allow three rollers to pass through it.

 

Once you measure the clearance against a specified value, both the maximum and minimum clearances can be greater or less than 0.01mm.

 

How to Select Spherical Roller Bearings?

 

The general rule of choosing bearings does not apply to rollers bearings. The general rule says if you are targeting load axially that is in the direction of the shaft, go with thrust bearings. While if you are targeting load perpendicular to the shaft, go with radial bearings. But spherical roller bearings can accept load from both sides.

 

So, you can leave those variables. All you have to do while choosing spherical roller bearings is to estimate the total load and align it with the size sheet. Other factors include the design of spherical roller bearings and materials used in their making.

 

There should be a proper alignment of the rings, raceways, and cages. These three elements determine the overall quality and performance of spherical roller bearings.

 

If you choose asymmetrical rollers, it will give you precision and better performance. At the same time, symmetrical rollers are pretty helpful if you want lesser vibration and better load distribution.

 

As discussed above, companies use different materials to make spherical roller bearings. It includes chrome steel, polyamide, brass, and sheet steel. But one particular element you should look at is the material of the cage. After all, it’s one of the crucial parts of spherical roller bearings.

 

This cage should be of brass or pressed steel. That’s because these materials offer better temperature resistance and strength.

 

That’s it! You can find suitable spherical roller bearings by looking for the factors mentioned above. Make sure you evaluate your selection based on the needs and application.

 

Final Thoughts!

 

So, here it completes our ultimate guide to spherical roller bearings. No other bearings in the history mechanics were able to support both axial and radial loads together. The spherical roller bearings can do it, that too with heavy loads.

 

Their support to the rotating shaft is unparalleled. Over the years, the spherical roller bearings have evolved—the reason more industries are now switching to spherical roller bearings.

 

The best things about these bearings are compliance with the general standard. Bearing manufacturers around the globe follow the same convention. It makes their adoption easier. In this day’s age, the flow of information is smoother than ever.

 

The reason more industries are now taking advantage of the advancement spherical roller bearings did manage to make.

 

The information presented above will also help you cut through the mental barrier if you plan to switch to spherical roller bearings.