Three point bearings with split inner ring or split outer ring can be considered. The split ring has two radii like in a four-point bearing and the second ring has a full radius. Therefore there can be two or three contact points.
In contrast to the other bearing types, the input for the contact angle is the contact angle on the split ring under radial contact. The input field is therefore shown as shim angle. The operating contact angle will depend on radial clearance. The radial clearance can be calculated from the required free contact angle.
The free contact angle is calculated based on two point contact. If the resulting free contact angle is less than the shim angle, there will be three point contact under low axial load.
The load capacity is calculated based on a single row radial angular contact ball bearing using the free contact angle. Because the free contact angle is used, the load capacity is dependent on the nominal clearance.
