A thrust bearing is a type of rotary bearing which allows for the rotation of two parts and supports an axial (parallel) load. Thrust bearings are used in a lot of appliances we use in the household today, and are used heavily in engines and other heavy sophisticated machinery.
Different types of thrust bearings
There are many different types of thrust bearings; here is a breakdown of a few of them:
Thrust ball bearings - A thrust ball bearing consists of ball bearings situated in a ring. These types of thrust bearings are used in low thrust appliances and when there is a small radial load.
Tapered roller thrust bearings - Tapered roller thrust bearings can carry and support very large and heavy axial loads. They can handle thrusts in two different directions and so are used a lot in car hubs where they are set in opposite directions.
Fluid thrust bearings - fluid bearings support their load on a thin layer of liquid or sometimes gas. They are used for heavy loads at high speeds, the liquid or gas film means the bearing can move at very high speeds as there is hardly any drag. Fluid thrust bearings were invented by an Australian engineer called George Michell in 1905.
Common uses for thrust bearings
Thrust bearings are found a lot in machinery, planes, and cars. Thrust bearings in cars are found in the gear boxes, they allow for the driver to move the gear stick from gear to gear easily and smoothly. Any piece of machinery with a gear box will use thrust bearings.
Thrust bearings are also commonly found in ships. A ship in water is moved by the thrust of the propellers using thrust bearings. They first started to be used more and more for the ships that were built for World War 2 and now they are the standard for any ship built today.
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