A totally new generation of spherical roller bearing developed by SKF will accommodate up to 25 per cent higher torque loadings, and provide a 300 per cent increase in service life compared with the equivalent size of standard spherical roller bearing. The new bearing, designated ‘Explorer’ also provides the opportunity for designers to gain increases in product performance by adopting ‘size-down’ or ‘power-up’ principles due to the higher load ratings.

Designers can also take advantage of individual factors such as higher speeds, cooler running, lower vibration and a stiffer final design due to the lower cross-section of a downsized bearing. Explorer bearings are dimensionally interchangeable with conventional ISO spherical roller bearings and can be used to upgrade existing designs. By changing to Explorer in a gearbox, for instance, torque can be increased by up to 25 per cent, depending on operating conditions, while new gearbox designs can benefit from the lower bearing cross-section and higher performance to allow larger, more rigid shaft sizes to be incorporated. The result is a stiffer design, or as an alternative, down-sizing of the whole unit can be achieved to reduce friction, lubrication, weight and cost while obtaining equal performance or higher speeds without external cooling.

More information: SKF