Thrust roller bearings are compact bearings designed to rotate between parts and reduce friction. They're built to handle axial loads in both vertical and horizontal shafts, and help prevent shafts from drifting.

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The rollers in thrust bearings can be spherical or cylindrical. The rolling elements are contained within cages and separated by consistently spaced pockets. When the elements roll, they are confined to raceways along a single axis. This prevents them from sliding out of position and causing bearing failure. The cages themselves don’t bear any load; their function is to keep the rollers in place.

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Bearings in general have a wide array of industry uses. Thrust roller bearings find a lot of use in the automotive industry, but they’re also commonly used in marine, aerospace, agriculture, petroleum, and medical equipment industries.

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Common applications for thrust roller bearings include drivetrains, machine tools, compressors, hydraulic pumps and all kinds of industrial machinery, especially machines that involve rotation. Essentially, they’re useful for any application that requires a compact bearing with a high axial load capacity.