The raceway of housing washer of this bearing type is spherical with the center of the radius located on the bearing axis. The design provides self- alignment capability to the bearing. The Contact angle is approximately 45° enabling the bearing to support axial load and a small to moderate amount of radial load. NACHI Spherical Roller Thrust bearings can sustain high loads at low-to-moderate speeds.
Because of the large load capacity and self-aligning characteristics, this bearing type is often used for injection molding machines, crane hooks and other large machines. Cages are made from machined, high-strength brass or pressed steel.