Bearings and Lubricants

Thin-section Bearings

There are three types of thin-section bearings: deep groove bearings, four-point contact bearings, and angular contact bearings. Compared with standard-section ball bearings, all three bearing types offer advantages in reduced space requirements and low cost. These bearings are used primarily where shaft location is the major requirement.

As structural components, thin-section bearings behave differently than standard bearings because their bearing rings are quite flexible. Under load, the rings follow the imperfections of shaft and bores, so these components must be geometrically accurate.

The four-point contact bearings support thrust loads in either direction and is much more effective in resisting moment loads than deep-groove design bearings.

Two other bearing designs use an axial split in the outer ring to increase ball complement and radial capacity without sacrificing thrust capacity. One is a full-complement design, the other uses alternating full-size balls and spacer balls. The latter type also has high shoulders on the outer ring to provide integral shields for grease lubrication. Both types of bearings are held together with wire bands after assembly.