VS spherical roller bearings from NSK

Bearing specialist develops new long-life spherical roller bearings (SRBs) for vibrating machinery

NSK have added a new range of spherical roller bearings (SRBs) to their expanding portfolio of products with the launch of the VS Series, available in 22 sizes with outer diameters ranging from 90mm to 400mm.

The VS Series bearings are said to offer a service life more than twice as long as current designs, allowing vibrating machinery to operate for longer, continuous periods while maintaining high levels of reliability.

The SRBs have been developed to meet the needs of the mining and quarrying market where many machines are operated under extremely demanding conditions. Under these conditions, any interruptions to the operation of vibration-intensive machinery can negatively affect production. As a result, longer service life and higher reliability are key features for bearings used in these types of machines.

Following a programme of stringent evaluation testing, the NSK bearings have been developed using sophisticated analysis techniques and the latest advances in production technology. The longer service life of the VS series SRB is the result of a special surface finish on the raceway of the outer ring, which is used to control the slippage action of the rollers.

The curvature factor between the raceway and spherical roller has also been optimized. This reduces both slippage and the accompanying initiation stress between the roller and the contact surfaces of the outer and inner ring raceways. The result of these design initiatives is a reduction in raceway damage over the life of the bearings, giving a service life, say NSK, more than twice that of current bearing types.