Tapered roller bearings contain an inner ring, outer ring, and a number of tapered rollers. Looked at individually, the inner and outer bearing rings are also tapered, resembling a cone segment. Due to the large surface area contact, tapered roller bearings are able to withstand heavy axial and radial loads.
Tapered roller bearings have unique design characteristics compared to other types of roller bearings. The rollers themselves have end diameters with two different sizes, hence the name "tapered rollers." The raceways in which the rollers operate have an angled surface corresponding with the taper of the rollers which makes these rings resemble segments of a cone; the inner raceway is in fact called a cone, while the outer raceway is known as a cup. Rollers are separated by a cage, also referred to as a retainer, that keeps the rollers a fixed distance apart, ensuring a smooth rotation and even load distribution. Rollers themselves are actively aligned by the angle surfaces of the rollers, cones, and cups, so the cage mainly serves to evenly space the rollers and contain them within a unified assembly. Flanges prevent the roller and cage assembly from leaving the bearing raceway at high speeds. In theory, if the tapered rollers, cone, and cup were fulfilled as geometric cones, the apex of each would meet at the same point on the main axis of the bearing.
TAPERED BEARINGS APPLICATIONS
Common uses for this tapered roller bearings include:
