Spherical Bushings

double cylindrical roller bearing

Spherical bushings are self-aligning spherical plain bushings that have inner and outer rings with spherical sliding surfaces, and can take a large radial load and an axial load at the same time. There are many types of spherical bushings, but can be narrowed down to two predominant styles: Steel-on-Steel types and maintenance-free types which utilize different materials on the sliding surface.

Steel-on-steel spherical bushings have inner and outer rings made of bearing steel. These spherical bushings operate with low torque, have excellent wear resistance and offer a large load capacity. Steel spherical bushings are especially suitable for applications where there are alternate loads and shock loads. This type spherical bushing is utilized frequently in industrial and construction machinery. Maintenance-free spherical bushings consist of an outer ring which has a special PTFE liner and a spherical inner ring of which the sliding surface has hard chromium plating. These spherical bushings provide excellent wear resistance. They are maintenance-free and can be used for extended periods of time without re-lubrication. Common applications for these spherical bushings include food processing machines, construction equipment and other applications where the use of oil or lubrication is undesirable or not possible.