Introduction
Spherical roller anti-friction bearings can carry high radial and moderate-high axial loads; they are often of the single or double row design. This type of bearings gets its name from the spherical shape of the groove on the outer ring.
Spherical Roller Bearing Cross Section
Rolling elements are barrel shaped.
Spherical Roller Bearing (barrel shaped rolling elements)
Spherical roller bearings can handle misalignment much better than other roller bearing designs and are the bearing of choice if misalignment is a normal operating condition. Modern spherical roller bearings can handle one to two degrees of misalignment.
Roller Bearings
There are four main types of roller bearing and each is named after the rolling elements they use.
Roller Bearing Elements
All roller bearings operate using line contact and can carry significantly higher radial loads than ball bearings; most roller bearings are poorly suited to handle axial loads.
Roller bearings have higher coefficients of friction than ball bearings and are consequently not suitable for very high-speed applications. Roller bearings do not use the term angular contact or angular load.
Bearing Suitability Graph
Additional Resources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearing_(mechanical)
http://courses.washington.edu/engr100/Section_Wei/engine/UofWindsorManual/Bearings.htm
https://www.engineering.com/Blogs/tabid/3207/ArticleID/130/categoryId/11/Bearings.aspx