Sometimes, just getting the right information can be challenging.  Some sources can be too broad while others can be too narrow forcing a person to pull information from multiple locations. The same can be true for bearing catalogs.  However, this has all changed with AST Bearings’ full-line interactive bearings catalog.

The bearings catalog from AST Bearings is actually dynamically driven by a state-of-the-art database.  This gives it the flexibility it needs to deliver just the right information to the user every time.  This is especially true since AST Bearings full-line catalog contains more than 10,000 different part numbers (and that doesn’t factor in configuration differences such as lubricants, precision levels, materials, closures and more).

A Matter of Navigation

Besides being database driven, one of the true strengths of the AST Bearings full-line bearing catalog is the ability to start wherever you want.  If you want to see the entire catalog, you can start at the main index.  However, what if you only want to look at “Spherical Plain Bearings” or just “Thrust Bearings?”  That’s okay too because you can start in a catalog section dedicated to just that type of bearing.
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Go to AST Bearings' Interactive Online Catalog

Just in time for the holidays and new year, AST Bearings now has over 10,000 bearing products included on their interactive online catalog (10,024 products to be exact) in 8 product categories and 40 sub-categories. Each has downloadable 3D CAD models available free of charge and includes full specifications. AST just completed a major update to the catalog by adding or updating nearly 1,000 products over the past month or so. Please check it out and let us know what you think of it. Learn more…

Spherical bearings come in many different types to accommodate a wide variety of applications. What all of them have in common is the ability to accommodate misalignment from mounting or shaft deflection.

• Spherical Ball Bearings
• Spherical Roller Bearings
• Spherical Plain Bearings
• Spherical Rod End Bearings

Spherical Ball Bearings

More commonly known as Self-Aligning Double Row Ball Bearings, spherical ball bearings are designed to work in applications where severe misalignment exists whether from mounting or shaft deflection. The concave raceway of the outer ring in combination with two rows of balls operates over a wide range of contact angles. Furthermore it aligns itself correctly with the shaft and assembly without causing undue stress on the rest of the bearing assembly. Noteworthy is that the self-aligning ball bearing has the lowest friction of all rolling bearings, which enables it to run cooler even at high speeds. Furthermore, the design allows for easy mounting and dismounting.

Visit our web page dedicated to Self-Aligning Double Row Ball Bearings for more information about Spherical Ball Bearings. 
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CAD Drawing of a Steel-on-Steel Spherical Plain Bearing with Extended Inner Ring

Spherical Plain Bearings are also sometimes referred to as “Spherical Plane Bearings, Spherical Ball Bushing Bearings, or Ball Bushings. They are manufactured in a wide variety of materials and are designed to offer bearing solutions in almost any operating environment. Spherical Plain Bearings are suitable for heavy-duty, off-highway vehicles, agricultural equipment, and are used in equipment in heavy industries such as construction, mining, and logging along with the hydraulic equipment using in packaging, textiles, and robotics industries.

Spherical Plain Bearings – Characteristics

Spherical Plain Bearings have an inner ring with a sphere convex outside surface and an outer ring with a correspondingly sphere, but concave inside surface. Their design makes them particularly suitable for bearing arrangements where alignment movements between shaft and housing have to accommodate, or where oscillating or recurrent tilting movements must be permitted at relatively slow sliding speeds.

New Technical Papers Are Now Available on Spherical Plain Bearings

AST Bearings publishes 7 new technical papers on Spherical Plain Bearings

AST Bearings in support of educating engineers and designers has just published seven new technical papers which help describe Spherical Plain Bearing characteristics.  These papers are available now for reading and downloading:

• Spherical Plain Bearings – Overview
• Spherical Plain Bearings – Life and Load Ratings
• Spherical Plain Bearings – Internal Clearance
• Spherical Plain Bearings – Mounting and Fitting
• Spherical Plain Bearings – Lubrication
• Spherical Plain Bearings – Tolerances
• Spherical Plain Bearings – Nomenclature (part numbering system)

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