SKF’s bearing factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, has produced the company’s largest sealed spherical roller bearing to date. The 241/900 spherical roller bearing is 50 percent larger and three times heavier than the previous largest SKF sealed spherical roller bearing.

Destined for a Polysius Polycom 8 roller press at a large copper mine in Peru, the three-tonne heavy spherical roller bearing is dimensionally equivalent to the standard SKF non-sealed version, with a bore diameter of 900 millimetres, an outside diameter of 1,420 millimetres and a width of 515 millimetres. The bearing seal consists of a rubber over-moulded steel plate with the same profile and offering the same characteristics as those currently used with existing SKF sealed spherical roller bearings.

The bearings will be fitted to a horizontal shaft and will operate in extremely dusty conditions. The roller press is a heavy-load application subject to frequent shock loading; the predominantly radial loads, when coupled with the high level of contamination at the site, pose a significant risk of early bearing damage and failure. SKF’s custom-made seal aims to at least double the bearing service life by significantly reduc­ing the risk of contamination in this application.