Angular roller bearings and ball bearings in an assembly typically require preloading in order to maintain a minimum designed axial force in the assembly. This minimum force is called the bearing preload and is designed to overcome the stack up of tolerances within the assembly and ensure no slop or gaps exist for a smooth and tight rotation.
There are many options available to the designer to compensate for the assembly’s tolerances and achieve the desired preload force.
This technical paper offers a few of the options available followed by the key benefits and drawbacks of each approach.
