Roller Bearings

SKF provides different types of bearing units that are ready-to-mount bearing units, which are greased and sealed, and are able to compensate for misalignment of the shaft with respect of the housing.

Cylindrical Roller Bearings

SKF roller bearings come in a wide variety of types, designs, series, sizes, variants and materials. Depending on the bearing design, SKF roller bearings are available in four performance classes.


Single Row Cylindrical Roller Bearing with Cage	Double Row Cylindrical Roller Bearing with Cage	Multi Row Cylindrical Roller Bearing with Cage	Single Row Full Complement Cylindrical Roller Bearing	Double Row Full Complement Cylindrical Roller Bearing	Multi Row Full Complement Cylindrical Roller Bearing

Needle Roller Bearings

SKF needle roller bearings are bearings with cylindrical rollers that are small in diameter relative to their length. The ends of the rollers are relieved slightly to modify the line contact between the rollers and raceways. This prevents stress peaks at the roller ends to extend bearing service life. In spite of their low cross section, needle roller bearings have a high load carrying capacity. Therefore, they are extremely suitable for bearing arrangements where radial space is limited.

SKF supplies needle roller bearings in many different designs, series and in a wide range of sizes, which make them appropriate for a wide variety of operating conditions and applications.

Tapered Roller Bearings

Spherical Roller Bearings

Spherical roller bearings have two rows of rollers, a common sphered outer ring raceway and two inner ring raceways inclined at an angle to the bearing axis. The centre point of the sphere in the outer ring raceway is at the bearing axis. Therefore, the bearings are self-aligning and insensitive to misalignment of the shaft relative to the housing, which can be caused, for example, by shaft deflection. Spherical roller bearings are designed to accommodate heavy radial loads, as well as heavy axial loads in both directions.

CARB® Toroidal Roller Bearings

CARB toroidal roller bearings combine the self-aligning capability of spherical roller bearings with the axial displacement ability of cylindrical roller bearings. CARB bearings can also have the compact cross section and high load carrying capacity normally associated with needle roller bearings.

CARB bearings are intended exclusively as non-locating bearings. They can simplify locating/non-locating bearing arrangements because thermal expansion of the shaft can be accommodated within the bearing virtually without friction. Bearing systems consisting of a spherical roller bearing in the locating position and a CARB bearing in the non-locating position provide a space- and weight-saving bearing system with a low cost of ownership. CARB bearings can reduce noise and vibration levels, for example, in paper machines and fans.

CARB bearings are single row bearings with long, slightly barrel-shaped symmetrical rollers. The outer ring has a torus-shaped raceway with a profile radius extending beyond the centre of the bearing. The inner ring raceway is shaped accordingly. The rollers of CARB bearings are self-guiding, i.e. they always adopt the position where the load is favourably distributed over the roller length, irrespective of whether the bearing rings are misaligned or axially displaced. The ability to distribute loads favourably keeps the friction and frictional heat at low levels. Lower operating temperatures extend the service life of the lubricant and the bearing.

Cylindrical Roller Thrust Bearings

Needle Roller Thrust Bearings

SKF needle roller thrust bearings are fitted with a form-stable cage to reliably retain and guide a large number of needle rollers. The very small diameter deviation of the rollers within one assembly enables these bearings to accommodate heavy axial loads and shock loads. The ends of the rollers are relieved slightly to modify the line contact between the raceways and rollers. This prevents stress peaks at the roller ends to extend bearing service life.

Needle roller thrust bearings provide a high degree of stiffness within a minimum axial space. In applications where the faces of adjacent machine components can serve as raceways, needle roller thrust bearings take up no more space than a conventional thrust washer.

Tapered Roller Thrust Bearings

Tapered roller thrust bearings enable axially very compact bearing arrangements to be produced which can carry very heavy axial loads, are insensitive to shock loads and are stiff. SKF produces single direction tapered roller thrust bearings and double direction tapered roller thrust bearings. The screw-down bearings constitute a special design of single direction tapered roller thrust bearing and have a full complement of rollers. They are used for rolling mill screw-down arrangements.

Spherical Roller Thrust Bearings

SKF spherical roller thrust bearings have specially designed raceways and accommodate a large number of asymmetrical rollers. The rollers have an optimum conformity with the washer raceways to optimize load distribution along the roller length. Therefore, they can accommodate relatively high speeds, heavy axial loads in one direction and heavy radial loads. The load is transmitted between the raceways at an angle to the bearing axis. Spherical roller thrust bearings are self-aligning and can accommodate misalignment of the shaft relative to the housing, which can be caused, for example, by shaft deflection.