company news about What is the contact angle of a thrust ball bearing?

the steel balls of single direction thrust ball bearings are arranged between a pair of a pair of raceway washers (shaft raceway washer and housing raceway washer), and the normal contact angle is 90°. Axial loads can be supported in only one direction, and radial loads cannot be accommodated.

Explanation:

• A thrust ball bearing is designed to support axial (thrust) loads only, not radial loads.

• The rolling elements (balls) contact the raceways at a right angle (90°) to the bearing axis, which allows it to handle purely axial forces.

• Because the contact angle is defined as the angle between the line of action of the load (through the contact point) and a plane perpendicular to the bearing axis, a thrust-only load configuration results in a 90° contact angle.

Comparison:

• Radial ball bearings have contact angles of 0° to 45°, depending on design (e.g. deep groove vs angular contact).

• Angular contact ball bearings can have contact angles like 15°, 25°, 40°, depending on their load sharing between radial and axial directions.

• Thrust ball bearings, in contrast, have a 90° angle, supporting only axial loads.