Spherical roller bearings have two rows of rollers, a common sphered outer ring raceway and two inner ring raceways inclined at an angle to the bearing axis. The centre point of the sphere in the outer ring raceway is at the bearing axis. Therefore, these bearings are self-aligning and insensitive to misalignment of the shaft relative to the housing, which can be caused, for example, by shaft deflection. Spherical roller bearings are designed to accommodate heavy radial loads, as well as heavy axial loads in both directions.
Bearing performance is not only determined by load or speed ratings. There are a number of other factors that contribute to bearing performance. To a large extent, performance is influenced by the geometry of the rollers, raceways and cages, the heat treatment during manufacture, as well as the surface finish of all contact surfaces. Main factors which influence SKF spherical roller bearing performance.