Needle roller thrust bearings (thrust) make it possible to design bearing arrangements with very high axial load capacity, rigid and insensitive to shock loads, with a relatively small space requirement. They are one way bearings, they can only take axial loads in one direction.
Compact bearing arrangements, which take up no more space than those with a conventional sheet metal washer, can be achieved by using the faces of adjacent machine elements as raceways for thrust needle assemblies. The needle roller and cage assemblies consist of a stable cage in which a large number of needles can be safely guided and held.
