Needle Roller Thrust Bearings

Needle roller thrust bearings are fitted with a form-stable cage to reliably retain and guide a large number of needle rollers. The very small diameter deviation of the rollers within one assembly enables these bearings to accommodate heavy axial loads and shock loads. The ends of the rollers are relieved slightly to modify the line contact between the raceways and rollers. This prevents stress peaks at the roller ends to extend bearing service life.
Needle roller thrust bearings provide a high degree of stiffness within a minimum axial space. In applications where the faces of adjacent machine components can serve as raceways, needle roller thrust bearings take space not more than a conventional thrust washer.