Which bearing arrangement is suitable for heavy axial loading?

• A. Angular Contact Bearings
• B. Radial Ball Bearings
• C. Self-Aligning Bearings
• D. Spherical Bearings

Answer: (A)

Angular contact bearings excel at carrying large axial (thrust) loads because their balls ride on an angled raceway. That angled contact converts part of the load into axial thrust, giving these bearings high axial capacity, especially when two are used in a back-to-back or face-to-face arrangement to take thrust in both directions. Radial ball bearings are mainly built for radial loads and provide limited axial stiffness. Self-aligning bearings tolerate misalignment and have less emphasis on handling heavy axial loads. Spherical bearings can manage heavy radial loads and some axial load, but they aren’t optimized for the heavy axial loading scenario the question highlights. So for heavy axial loading, the design with angled contact—angular contact bearings—is the best fit.