about Needle roller bearings
A needle roller bearing is a bearing which uses small cylindrical rollers. They are used to reduce friction of a rotating surface.
Needle bearings have a large surface area that is in contact with the bearing outer surfaces compared to ball bearings. Additionally there is less added clearance (difference between the diameter of the shaft and the diameter of the bearing) so they are much more compact. The typical structure consists of an a needle cage which orients and contains the needle rollers, the needle rollers themselves, and an outer race(sometimes housing itself).
Radial needle bearings are cylindrical and use rollers parallel to the axis of the shaft. Thrust needle bearings are flat and use a radial pattern of needles.
Full compliment bearings have solid inner and outer rings and rib-guided cylindrical rollers. Since these bearings have the largest possible number of rolling elements, they have extremely high radial load carrying capacity and are suitable for particularly compact designs.
Needle bearings are heavily used in engine components such as rocker arm pivots, pumps, compressors, and transmissions. The drive shaft of a rear-wheel drive vehicle typically has at least 8 needle bearings (4 in each U joint) and often more if it is particularly long, or operates on steep slopes.
Additional clarification of Needle Roller: According to "Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers", a Needle Bearing is a roller bearing with rollers whose length are at least four times their diameter.
Needle roller bearings incorporate rollers that are three to ten times longer than their diameter and exhibit a relatively large radial load capability. The M-type cage and roller assemblies contain controlled contour rollers to deliver high durability even under heavy loads or misaligning operating conditions.
Timken offers a broad range of needle roller bearings and bearing assemblies for specialized applications. Major markets include automotive, consumer product, construction and agriculture, and general industrial goods.
Needle roller bearings are roller bearings with cylindrical rollers that are small in diameter. In spite of their low cross section, needle roller bearings have a high load carrying capacity and are therefore extremely suitable for bearing arrangements where radial space is limited.
SKF supplies needle roller bearings in different designs and a wide range of sizes, which are appropriate for different applications.
