Needle roller bearing

[1] Like all bearings, they are used to reduce the friction of a rotating surface.

They are also thinner, so they require less clearance between the axle and the surrounding structure.

Needle bearings are heavily used in automobile components such as rocker arm pivots, pumps, compressors, and transmissions.

The drive shaft of a rear-wheel drive vehicle typically has at least eight needle bearings (four in each U joint) and often more if it is particularly long, or operates on steep slopes.

[2] This article about a mechanical engineering topic is a stub.