Roller bearings are similar in profile to ball bearings but rather than using balls to rotate they utilise cylinder rolling elements. Roller bearings carry a load by placing rolling elements such as rollers between outer rings and inner rings called races. This allows the bearing to maintain separation between moving parts, helping to reduce rotational friction and noise.

For applications requiring high radial and axial load support, roller bearings are ideal and are available in a variety of designs and shapes.

Roller bearings are categorised by the shape of the roller which can reduce friction and support radial and axial loads. RS have a great range of bearings including tapered roller bearings and needle roller bearings to meet all your requirements. These types of bearings can feature single or multiple rows of rolling elements. You can find out more in our roller bearings guide.

Types of Roller Bearings

There are a wide range of roller bearing available in various sizes and types, each suited to specific applications. Popular types of roller bearings include:

• Tapered Roller Bearings - Tapered outer, inner rollers and raceways accommodate the simultaneous thrust and radial loads of this type of bearing
• Spherical Roller Bearings - These feature two rings on the inner raceway that handle loads and misalignment concerns
• Needle Roller Bearings - This type of bearing utilises long and thin cylindrical rollers to support radial loads
• Cylindrical roller Bearing - Ideal for handling low thrust and high radial loads at high speeds

Roller Bearing Applications

Roller bearings are widely used across industry, helping with the movement and mobilization of machinery. They are commonly found in aviation cargo systems, manufacturing, aerospace, automobile industry, power houses and numerous other applications.