About Bearing Loads

A bearing load mimics the distributed force of an imaginary cylindrical part pressing on an opposing cylindrical surface.

The most common example of a bearing load is a shaft that rotates inside of an outer housing. The rotating shaft presses outward on the inner surface of the housing. The corresponding pressure distribution is calculated in the simulation.

To define a bearing load where the shaft rotates about the z-axis, you must specify the magnitude of the force being transmitted by the shaft to the bearing in the x-direction and y-direction.

A bearing load simulates the effects of a contact load but is simpler to create and faster computationally.