Inch Tapered Roller Bearings

Inch tapered roller bearings are a type of ball bearing that incorporates rollers profiled to distribute the load evenly across the bearing. They are available in various sizes and can be used for a variety of applications, such as motor shafts, axles, propellers and more.

Tapered roller bearings were developed at the end of the 19th century to replace journal bearings - cylindrical rollers that relied on lubrication to hold them in place. Without adequate lubrication, journal bearings would fail due to excessive heat and friction. Timken patented tapered roller bearings to overcome this problem.

The design of the tapered rollers focuses combination loads into a central rotational axis, eliminating the need for lubrication and improving efficiency. This translates to less vibration and reduced damage to delicate components.

Reliability: This type of bearing is extremely durable and will last a very long time if the correct selection, fit, and lubrication are applied. This is especially true for automobiles, which can run hundreds of thousands of miles without experiencing tapered bearing failures.

Combined and varied loads: These bearings can accommodate combined radial and axial loads simultaneously because of the design of their raceways. The projection lines of the raceways meet at a common point on the bearing axis to provide a true rolling action and low friction.

Load capacity: The axial load carrying capacity of tapered roller bearings increases with increasing contact angle. The more steep the angle, the more the axial load capacity of the bearing will increase.

Thrust load capacity: The thrust load capacity of tapered roller bearings is about 60% of the radial load capacity. This is because the tapered rollers rely on a steep gradient to carry thrust loads, reducing the amount of stress that is applied to the sides of the races.

Stiffness: The stiffness of tapered roller bearings can be increased by applying a preload. A preload is an extra amount of pressure that can be applied to a bearing, which will make it more resistant to dynamic misalignment.

Moment rigidity: These bearings can be configured to withstand sudden changes in angular position of the shaft, which is an important feature for many applications. They are able to withstand these changes better than spherical bearings, which can break down under sudden changes in angle.

Case carburization: The process of case carburizing the steel outer ring of the tapered roller bearings adds a hardened surface layer to the rollers, creating a shock-load capable bearing that can handle high speeds. The added hardness also improves the life of the bearing and reduces maintenance intervals and downtime.

Crowned rollers: The crowned rollers on tapered roller bearings provide superior load-carrying capability and longer bearing life. Crowned rollers distribute stress equally along the full length of their contact with the raceways, reducing stress concentration at the ends.

Tapered roller bearings are an excellent choice for applications that require a strong combination of speed, load capacity and stiffness. They can be customized to match the specific speed, load, contamination, temperature or vibration conditions in your application.