Spherical Plain Bearings
Spherical plain bearings consist of an inner ring (spherical) and a surrounding outer ring, with the inner ring usually being harder than the outer ring. Inner and outer rings can be made of steel, aluminum or copper alloys for example. Usually, the outer rings are pressed around the inner ring, thus enveloping it spherically. This plastic deformation process of the outer ring is eliminated if the inner rings are split (split ball) and can therefore be placed in the outer ring one after the other or if the outer ring has a loading slot (loader slot) into which the inner ring can be inserted. To achieve desired sliding properties and to minimize friction, the contact surfaces between the rings are optionally coated with a liner (PTFE) or covered with a dry lubricant film and greased. Application areas are usually applications that require slow rotational and swiveling movements. Known specifications include, for example, EN 2335 or AS 21154.