It is known to support rotating shafts with bearing assemblies at the ends of the shafts, and the shafts may be subject to a load between the bearings. These loads can deform the shaft and thereby also cause deformations inside the bearing assemblies. FIG. 3a shows an example of a central (or centered) load 304 on a shaft 320 which shaft 320 is supported by two bearing assemblies 310. The central load 304 bends the shaft 320 away from an unloaded state 302 of the shaft 320. The central load of the shaft 320 (which may be evenly centered or off-center) results in a loading of the shaft 320 and of the shaft pins and a bending dynamic as shown in FIG. 3b. In this way an angle 312 forms at the ends of the shaft between the actual axis of rotation of the shaft and the unloaded axis of rotation of the shaft. Alternatively, due to the presence of rotating masses 330 at the ends of the shaft 320 outboard of the bearing assemblies 310, the bending dynamic of the shaft 320 can produce another form of shaft-pin bending dynamic at the ends of the shaft.
These shaft deformations can produce deformations inside the bearing assemblies. Such deformations can in turn result in increased bearing wear, and consequently lead to a shorter bearing service life.