Bearing Directory » Thrust Bearing
Thrust bearings are designed for pure thrust loads, and can handle little or no radial load. The rolling element in a thrust bearing can be a ball, needle or roller.  Design units can be specified in English units of inches, metric units or both.  Important dimensions to consider when searching for thrust bearings include the bore, the outside diameter and the overall width.  The bearing industry uses a standard number system for bearings with metric diameter bores.  For bore sizes 04 and up multiply by 5 to obtain the bore in millimeters. If the bore is a hex this refers to the dimension across the flats.  If the bore is tapered this refers to the smaller diameter.  The outside diameter of the bearing includes the housing if it is a housed unit, but exclude the flange if a flanged bearing.

Thrust bearings are designed to handle pure thrust motion only. Thrust motion, sometimes called rotary motion, refers to radial motion, like that of a wheel spinning. In general, thrust bearings are not designed for heavy loads. Thrust bearings are used in low-speed applications and can be found in products like Lazy Susans and barstools.

Thrust bearings are relatively small components placed between moving parts in order to reduce friction due to movement. Thrust bearings can be made of many different materials and can be of various sizes and designs.

Thrust bearings consist of inner and outer rings, inner and outer tracks, and balls. A row of spherical bearings revolves around the circular track. In a thrust ball bearing, the pressure from the load is transmitted from the outer track to the balls and from the balls to the inner track. In effect, the small balls located in the rings of the bearing "bear" the weight of the load, permitting the machine to run smoothly.

Roller Thrust Bearings

Spherical Thrust Bearing

Thrust Ball Bearings


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Articles

Thrust Bearing Failure

Thrust bearings are used to control end play in the crankshaft. End play is important because it limits the fore and aft movement of the crankshaft in the block. If an engine is assembled with too much end play in the crank, or if the thrust bearing fails, the forward movement of the crankshaft in the block can chew up the main bearing caps and block.

Thrust Bearing Orientation

Pump manufacturers use a wide variety of styles and mounting arrangements for the bearings in their equipment based on applications and load carrying requirements. On smaller general purpose and process pumps, it is usual to see a single row radial bearing and a double row thrust bearing.

Crankshaft Thrust Bearing Failure - Causes & Remedies

For years both transmission and engine rebuilders have struggled at times to determine the cause of crankshaft thrust bearing failures. In most instances, all of the facts concerning the situation are not revealed at the onset of the failure. This has led to each party blaming the other for the failure based only on hearsay or what some "expert" has termed the "cause".