The taper roller bearing has the ability to carry combinations of large radial and thrust loads or to carry thrust load only. Because of the difference between the inner and outer raceway contact angles, there is a force component, which drives the tapered rollers against the guide flange. The relatively large sliding friction generated at this flange makes this bearing typically unsuitable for high-speed applications without special consideration to coolant/lubricant. Typical applications include construction machinery, gear construction, vehicle manufacture and rolling mills.
The surface finish of the tracks and rolling elements is critical to the running performance and noise characteristics of these bearings. Taylor Hobson have a range of Form Talysurf systems which are suitable for measuring the surface finish characteristics of taper roller bearings. For further details click the link below.
Also of critical importance is the roundness and waviness of the tracks and rolling elements. Typically these features are measured using roundness instruments, for further details click the link below.
Along with general geometrical features there is also a requirement to analyse the cross sectional shape of the bearing track and rolling elements. These typically have a crowned (barrel) type shape to avoid a build of peak stresses at the edge of the bearing. This shape can be defined in a number of ways, which includes a simple large radius or a mathematical equation. These shapes can be analysed using special geometrical software from Taylor Hobson Ltd.