What are the characteristics of SKF bearings?

SKF toroidal roller bearings are a new type of radial roller bearings. This compact self-aligning roller bearing was developed by SKF and launched in 1995. Compared with the 

previous roller bearings, SKF toroidal roller bearings have undergone brand-new changes in both design and structure, making them better in application performance and 

longer in service life.

1. Design:

The unique design of this bearing combines the self-aligning capability of spherical roller bearings with the unlimited axial displacement capability of cylindrical roller bearings. 

It can also have a small cross-sectional area, which is usually a feature of needle roller bearings.

This kind of bearing has a wide range of applications in terms of radial load. Specially used as a non-locating bearing, this bearing is ideal because its combination of 

self-aligning capability and axial displacement capability opens up new avenues for saving space, weight and production costs. By intentionally causing the relative axial 

displacement of the inner and outer rings, it is possible to accurately set the radial internal clearance of the bearing.

2. Structure:

SKF toroidal roller bearings can achieve the same or better performance with a smaller and lighter construction, for example in planetary gearboxes. They simplify bearing 

arrangements on long shafts where temperature variations are high. Vibrations are also reduced when using such bearings, eg in paper machines and ventilators. It is a single 

row bearing with long, slightly crowned symmetrical rollers. The bearing raceways of the inner and outer rings are concave and symmetrically distributed around the center of 

the bearing. Therefore, the raceway characteristics of the inner and outer rings can be well combined, which is beneficial to the load distribution of the bearing and the 

reduction of friction. The rollers in the bearing are self-guiding, that is, regardless of the axial displacement and/or misalignment of the inner ring relative to the outer ring, 

the roller is always in a position where the load is evenly distributed over the length of the roller. It has an extremely high load capacity, even when angular or axial 

displacements have to be compensated. In this way, the bearing arrangement is operationally reliable and has an extended service life.

3. Features:

SKF toroidal roller bearings are often used as non-locating end bearings in vibration situations. They are press-fitted to the shaft, eliminating potential fretting corrosion 

caused by loose shaft clearances, and can also result in a self-aligning bearing system with excellent performance and reliability.

SKF toroidal roller bearings are manufactured according to the "SKF Explorer" performance class. SKF Explorer is a new performance class for rolling bearings and represents 

SKF's application knowledge combined with expertise in tribology, material development, design and manufacturing. SKF Explorer grade bearings feature very pure and 

homogeneous steel with only a small number of inclusions.

In addition, the surface treatment of all contact surfaces (rolling elements and raceways) of SKF toroidal roller bearings has been improved to optimize the lubrication effect 

and reduce vibration and noise. The result is a smoother and cooler running bearing, the need for lubrication is thus reduced and in turn the bearing arrangement, including 

the seals, requires less maintenance.