How old are the ordinary components we use every day? Bolts and machine screws, for example, likely date back to the 15th century, with the concept of the screw as a simple machine attributed to Archimedes back in 212 BCE.

Another component, the spherical roller bearing, is this year passing the milestone of 100 years since its invention. SKF engineer Arvid Palmgren developed spherical roller bearing (SRB) in 1919. Spherical roller bearings consist of an inner ring with two raceways inclined at an angle to the bearing axis, an outer ring with a common spherical raceway, spherical rollers, cages and, in certain designs, also internal guide rings or center rings. The bearings can also be sealed. Two rows of rollers allow the bearings to accommodate very heavy radial and axial loads.


One example of the use of the bearing is on the High Roller Ferris wheel in Las Vegas. Bearing manufacturer SKF provided two SRBs for the ferris wheel, each weighing 8.8 tons, making these two of the largest SRBs that the company has ever produced. The company has used the bearings in various applications such as the Bahrain World Trade Center, boasting three tower wind turbines installed between the 50 story towers which generate 1,300 MWh per year.

Because spherical roller bearings are well-suited to carrying heavy loads at moderate speeds, they have industrial applications in gearboxes, wind turbines, casting machines, pumps, pulp and paper processing, offshore drilling, and more.

Spherical roller bearings are typically made of high-carbon chrome steel. The cages are commonly made from stamped or machined steel, polyamide or brass.

Petra Öberg Gustafsson, SKF Product Line Manager Self Aligning Bearings, said, “From the very start, SKF has taken the lead in the development of self-aligning bearings. We introduced spherical roller bearings in 1919 and have been consistently improving them ever since. Building on Arvid Palmgren’s original design, we now offer engineers the widest range of both open and sealed spherical roller bearings in the industry. With the continued push for high performance in ever more challenging environments, it will be interesting to see what the next 100 years of development generates.”