Roller bearings are used in the machine and production industries when two planes need to move against each other with the least amount of friction possible. They differ from ball bearings, as they are contained within a form of housing and may or may not bet spherical. Roller bearings come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes but generally fall into one of three categories: cylindrical, spherical and tapered.
Roller Bearing Construction
<p>To understand how a roller bearing fails, it's best to also understand how it's constructed. The bearing itself consists of a set of rollers kept in place by a circular cage. This cage sits inside a bearing race, which provides a hard outer-edge covering to the bearing. Inside the center of the circular cage is the inner race, which connects to whatever the bearing is posted onto, usually an axle of some sort. The entire assembly is frequently encased within sidewalls, but not always.
Tapered roller bearings are similar in construction to cylindrical roller bearings except that instead of the cylinders being perpendicular to the ring, they are angled and offset. This construction has the added benefit of additional load support and the ability to spin the bearing more quickly. They are used often in the automotive industry and heavy equipment industry.</p>
