Design and Development of Spherical Roller Bearings: A Review

This paper represents a review of past and current research in the design and development of spherical roller bearings (SRB). The rolling element of the spherical bearing is normally barrel shaped, hence these bearings are also called "barrel roller bearings". The design of rolling element bearings has a great impact on the performance, life, and reliability for the specific application of bearings. This type of bearing is widely used in mechanical parts in medium speed and heavy load application. Review of the literature suggests that a number of studies have been carried out to investigate the life of bearings for different loading conditions, optimized design, causes of mechanical failure, various geometric parameters, and optimum surface profile of spherical roller bearings. The major objective of their research was to decrease the contact stress at the roller raceway interface because these are the most heavily stressed areas in the bearing. Hence, the objective of the review article is to summarize previously reported research articles by various researchers.