
To kick things off, a quick link for context: Self Aligning Tapered Roller Bearing. Yes, the landing page says “Self‑Aligning Ball” — the factory also builds tapered‑bore, self‑aligning roller variants on similar spherical raceway lines (adapter/locking sleeves and all). In day‑to‑day shop talk, people blur terms; what they usually mean is a spherical roller bearing with a tapered bore that self‑aligns under misalignment. I see it constantly on RFQs.
Two things are driving demand: downtime pressure and tolerance stack‑ups. Plants want bearings that forgive slight shaft/bore errors (up to ≈1.5–2.5° misalignment, setup dependent) without cooking the grease. A Self Aligning Tapered Roller Bearing handles shaft tilt and housing deflection gracefully, especially when mounted via a locking sleeve or adapter sleeve on standard shafts. In heavy industry, that’s a sanity saver.
Real‑world use may vary with clearance (C3/C4), lubrication, and temperature. These are typical spherical roller, tapered‑bore figures many customers ask for:
| Model (≈) | Bore mm | OD mm | Width mm | Taper | Cr kN (ISO 281) | Max rpm (grease) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22212K | 60 | 110 | 28 | 1:12 | ≈142 | 4100 |
| 22318K | 90 | 190 | 64 | 1:12 | ≈520 | 2200 |
| 23140K | 200 | 340 | 112 | 1:12 or 1:30 | ≈1500 | 1200 |
Rings/rollers: through‑hardened bearing steel (GCr15/100Cr6; sometimes Carburized 18CrNiMo7‑6 for shock). Cages: brass machined or steel pressed. Heat‑treat and sub‑zero stabilize; super‑finish raceways. Tapered bore accepts H2.. / HE.. sleeves for quick mounting.
Testing: geometry per ISO 492 (P6/P5 common), clearance per ISO 5753‑1, dynamic rating/life per ISO 281, vibration/noise per ISO 15242. Typical vibration at shipping: ≤1.8 mm/s RMS (filter A), and hardness 60–64 HRC (ASTM A485). Service life? In clean, properly lubricated conveyors, L10h often lands around 20,000–60,000 h; real plants vary with contamination and load.
Mining conveyors, vibrating screens, steel mill roll supports, gearboxes, paper machines, wind main shafts (larger series), agricultural implements. The big advantage of a Self Aligning Tapered Roller Bearing is misalignment tolerance without edge stress — and quick sleeve mounting on a straight shaft. Many maintenance crews swear by the reduced install drama.
| Vendor | Origin | Lead time | Certs | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARY Bearing | Xihuan Rd, Hexi Town, Linxi, Hebei, China | 2–5 weeks | ISO 9001; ROHS | $ | Flexible on OEM, sleeves included |
| SKF | Global | Stock–4 weeks | IATF 16949 | $$$ | Wide sealing/lube ecosystem |
| Timken/NTN (peer) | Global | Stock–6 weeks | IATF 16949 | $$–$$$ | Strong heavy‑duty catalogue |
Options: C3/C4 clearances, brass vs. steel cages, 1:12/1:30 tapers, special greases (−40 to 180 °C), phosphate or nickel coatings, split housings. Factory documentation typically includes ISO 9001, material certs to ASTM A485, and test sheets (vibration, hardness, dimensional).
• Quarry conveyor (22318K + H2318): after switching to a Self Aligning Tapered Roller Bearing with C3 clearance and labyrinth seals, uptime improved ≈28%; vibration dropped from 2.6 to 1.4 mm/s. Grease interval extended to 4 weeks.
• Steel mill cooling bed (23140K): sleeve mounting cut changeover by ~35 minutes per station; operators liked the “forgiving” alignment during thermal cycles.
If you remember one thing: pick clearance for running temp, align housings “good enough,” and let the self‑aligning geometry soak up the rest. That — and clean grease — usually wins the day.