Custom Joint Bearing Manufacturer: Characteristics of Joint Bearings
Release date:
2022-12-09
Author:
Custom Joint Bearings According to the manufacturer, joint bearings have a simpler structure than rolling bearings. They consist primarily of an inner ring with an outer spherical surface and an outer ring with an inner spherical surface, enabling them to withstand substantial loads. Joint bearings are typically used in low-speed oscillating (angular) motions. Because their sliding surfaces are spherical, they can also accommodate tilting within a certain angular range—i.e., self-aligning motion—and continue to operate normally even when there is significant misalignment between the bearing shaft and the housing bore.
1. Characteristics of spherical bearings:
The manufacturer of custom joint bearings stated that, Joint bearings can withstand substantial loads; depending on their type and design, they are capable of supporting radial loads, axial loads, or combined radial and axial loads. Thanks to the composite material embedded in the outer spherical surface of the inner ring, these bearings provide self‑lubrication during operation. They are typically used in applications involving relatively low‑speed oscillatory motion and low‑speed rotation, and can also accommodate tilting within a certain angular range. Even when there is significant misalignment between the shaft and the housing bore, they continue to function reliably. Self‑lubricating joint bearings are well suited for industries such as hydropower and specialized machinery.
2. Applications of spherical bearings:
Spherical plain bearings are widely used in industries such as engineering hydraulic cylinders, forging presses, construction machinery, automation equipment, automotive shock absorbers, and hydraulic machinery. Spherical plain bearings are spherical sliding bearings; their basic configuration involves a contact between an inner ring and an outer ring. Depending on their design and type, they can accommodate radial loads, axial loads, or combined radial and axial loads.
The manufacturer of custom joint bearings stated that, Due to the large spherical sliding contact area and the relatively large tilt angle of joint bearings, coupled with the fact that most joint bearings undergo specialized surface treatments—such as phosphating, zinc plating, chromium plating, or lining, insert‑inlay, and spray coating on the outer sliding surface—they exhibit high load-carrying capacity and excellent impact resistance. They also offer corrosion resistance, wear resistance, self‑aligning capability, and superior lubrication—or even self‑lubrication—while minimizing contamination from lubricant residues. Moreover, they can function properly even when misaligned during installation. Consequently, joint bearings are widely used in low-speed oscillating, tilting, and rotary motions.
3. Composition of the spherical plain bearing:
The manufacturer of custom joint bearings stated that, A joint bearing primarily consists of an outer ring and a corresponding inner ring. The inner spherical surface of the outer ring and the outer spherical surface of the inner ring form a rolling friction pair.
Spherical bearings feature two spherical contact surfaces that are in “conformal” contact; this type of contact is referred to as conformal contact. The teaching approach for calculating the mechanical characteristics of spherical bearings plays a crucial role in their structural design and wear‑analysis studies. Calculating the contact pressure on conformal surfaces is a highly complex problem, and existing Hertz models, being limited to elastic half‑spaces, cannot be used to determine the pressure distribution in spherical conformal contacts. A unified model for spherical contact—the Fang model—has been developed and can effectively address the pressure distribution in small‑deformation spherical contacts; it is applicable to both non‑conformal and conformal contacts. However, the contact area of a spherical bearing does not correspond to a complete spherical surface, so its contact pressure distribution must be computed further based on the full‑sphere conformal contact model. Moreover, during operation, spherical bearings exhibit free‑boundary effects, which can significantly influence their performance. These free‑boundary effects lead to localized contact pressure concentrations and steep pressure gradients at the outer‑ring edge of sliding bearings.
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