Bearing arrangements
Back-to-back arrangement
Bearings mounted back-to-back provide a relatively rigid bearing arrangement. The wide span between bearing effective centres makes this arrangement particularly well suited to support moment loads.
Face-to-face arrangement
The shorter span between effective bearing centres makes face-to-face arrangements less suitable to support moment loads compared to bearings in a back-to-back arrangement.
Tandem arrangement
The bearing set can only accommodate axial loads acting in one direction. If axial loads act in both directions, or if combined loads are present, additional bearing(s) adjusted against the tandem arrangement must be added.
Examples
If misalignment cannot be avoided between the bearing positions, face-to-face bearing arrangements are recommended. They are less sensitive to misalignment than back-to-back bearing arrangements.
Combinations of tandem arrangements with back-to-back or face-to-face arrangements are usually selected to maximize the stiffness or load carrying capacity of a bearing set in a particular direction. This is the case, for example, when extended, preloaded, vertical or overhung screw drives must be supported.