one of the two members of the class of rolling, or so-called antifriction bearings. Its function is to connect two machine members that move relative to one another in such a manner that the frictional resistance to the motion is minimal. In many applications one of the members is a rotating shaft and the other a fixed housing.
In fact bearings are subjected to Hertz´s pressure occurring between the elements in contact only at some points for ball bearings and in rectilinear contact for roller bearings.