Bearings designed to accommodate minor misalignment are classified as?

Bearings that are specifically designed to handle minor misalignment are known as internal and external self-aligning bearings. These bearings contain a unique design that allows for some degree of misalignment, which can occur due to various factors like thermal expansion, foundation settling, or installation errors.

Self-aligning bearings typically have a sphere-shaped outer race that enables the inner race, and thus the shaft, to adjust its position while maintaining effective alignment with the surrounding components. This ability to accommodate slight misalignments helps to reduce wear and prevent premature failure, contributing to smoother operations in machinery.

The other classifications, such as fixed and adjustable bearings, or radial and axial bearings, do not specifically focus on addressing misalignment. Fixed and adjustable bearings are more about the rigidity of the setup, while radial and axial bearings serve different directional loading functions. High-speed and low-speed bearings categorize the bearings based on their operational speeds rather than their alignment capabilities.