Spherical Plain Bearings
Spherical plain bearings are manufactured in a wide variety of materials and are designed to offer bearing solutions in almost any operating environment. AST Bearings offers a complete line of spherical bearings available in inch and metric. These High-Quality Spherical Plain Bearings are suitable for heavy-duty, off-highway vehicles, agricultural equipment, construction and mining and logging equipment, packaging and textile equipment, and robotics. The plain bearings come in standard industrial bore sizes from 0.5" to 12" inches, as well as metric sizes from as small as 4 to 300 mm. Custom sizes can also be ordered.
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Spherical Plain Bearings Characteristics
Spherical Plain Bearings (also known as “Spherical Plane Bearings” "Spherical Ball Bushing Bearings" and “Ball Bushings”) 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.
AST’s spherical plain bearings are divided into two main categories based upon the need and ability for lubrication. Click on any of the two below to read more about them:
Spherical Plain Bearings Product Types
AST is a premier spherical plain bearings supplier and supplies nearly 1,000 different spherical plain bearings products. If you already know which type of spherical plain bearing is right for your application, you can quickly navigate to it below for more information:
If you need help in selecting the best products for your particular application, please remember that design engineering and application assistance are available from AST as part of our value-added services designed to make your job easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose steel-on-steel or maintenance-free spherical plain bearings?
It depends entirely on your load and operating conditions:
- Steel-on-Steel (Requires Maintenance): Best for heavy static loads, alternating loads, or applications experiencing high shock and impact. They require regular relubrication via grease holes and grooves.
- Maintenance-Free (Lubrication-Free): Feature low-friction liners like PTFE fabric, composite, or plastic. They are ideal for applications where relubrication is impossible, or where inadequate lubrication would quickly destroy standard steel surfaces.
What range of bore sizes and configurations do you supply?
AST Bearings stocks a massive selection of nearly 1,000 distinct spherical plain bearings available in both inch and metric dimensions. Standard industrial bore sizes range from 0.5" to 12" inches, and metric sizes span from 4 mm up to 300 mm. We also offer extended inner rings, angular contact, and double-direction thrust configurations.
How much misalignment can your spherical plain bearings handle?
The maximum tilt angle is series-dependent, typically ranging between $\pm 5^\circ$ and $\pm 15^\circ$. For applications demanding extreme angles, we supply High Misalignment series featuring modified internal geometries or extended inner rings to prevent edge-loading and premature failure.
Do you provide 3D CAD models for engineering design integration?
Yes. You can access full technical specifications and download free 3D CAD models for nearly 1,000 different spherical plain bearings directly through our online product catalog. This lets you quickly drop accurate geometries into your CAD assemblies before ordering.
Can I order spherical plain bearings in stainless steel or with custom coatings?
Absolutely. For corrosive, outdoor, or washdown environments, we supply stainless steel-on-PTFE configurations. We can also provide specific surface treatments, such as zinc plating or phosphate coatings, and integrate rubber lip seals (2RS) to keep moisture and particulate contamination out of the sliding contact surface.
There are other types of "spherical bearings" including rod ends, spherical ball bearings and spherical roller bearings. To learn more about the various kinds of spherical bearings, please visit "Spherical Bearings – Accommodating Misalignment" which explains the similarities and differences between the various types.
There are a number of technical papers on this website found in our Resource Center about spherical plain bearings. Some of them are listed below:
AST Bearings' comprehensive spherical plain bearings catalog contains detailed specifications and 3D CAD models for 995 different spherical plain bearings in 14 categories. Click here to go to our online catalog and product specifier for our full line of Spherical Plain Bearings including free 3D CAD model downloads. As a leading spherical plain bearings supplier, AST will provide you "value beyond the part."
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