Angular-contact ball bearings are similar to deep-groove ball bearings except that the line of action of the load acting through the contacts between balls and raceways forms an angle with the bearing axis. The bearings are therefore particularly suitable for carrying combined (axial and radial) loads. Several different contact angles are available but the 40° version is a generally available variant, giving excellent axial and moment load capability while retaining sufficient radial load capacity. Angular-contact bearings are often used in pairs mounted side by side; back-to-back or face-to-face to carry axial loads in both directions, or tandem to carry very high axial loads (see Figure 9.37). It is essential that the bearings are specified as suitable for pairing by the manufacturer to ensure correct sharing of the loads. A typical application of angular-contact bearings is in centrifugal pumps, where a back-to-back arrangement is often used to give moment stiffness to an overhung shaft load
- Single row Angular contact ball bearings
- Double row Angular contact ball bearings
- Four-point contact ball bearings
