In addition to the increase in load carrying capacity, today ever greater demands are being formulated for the energy efficiency of machine elements. Figure 5 shows the development of friction losses of tapered roller bearings over time. Friction decreases exponentially and roughly follows the plotted curve of an annual decrease of four percent. 

Improvements were achieved, among other things, by improving the surface quality of bearing rings and rolling elements, adapting the flange and cage geometry and the lubricants. To reduce friction while maintaining the necessary load carrying capacity, application-related computer-aided design optimizations are carried out (Ref.8).