Bearings are components present in countless assemblies and industries, often being placed within systems to constrain motion to set movements while mitigating the amount of friction that occurs. They can come in various types, each differing in its design, capabilities, and advantages.
Rod end bearing components are a type that may be found on the end of cylinders, rods, linkages, and shafts, serving to accommodate angular misalignment that may occur between attached elements. While they can differ in their construction, most rod end bearings consist of an inner ring that is spherical and a cylindrical bore that permits the mounting of a shaft. In this blog, we will discuss rod end bearing assembly, allowing you to better understand the functions that they serve and the applications that they are found in.
As previously mentioned, the most common use of a rod end bearing assembly is to facilitate and correct low to moderate misalignment of shafts. To this degree, they can be found in various assemblies within aerospace, military, and automotive industries. When utilized for automotive industry applications, rod end bearing assemblies are implemented within steering knuckles and transmission linkages.
When serving as aircraft parts, as another example, rod end bearings find use for the aircraft control systems that are paramount to standard flight operations. Because of this, rod end bearing components are quite crucial for many applications that range from simple assemblies to advanced vehicles.
When searching for a good rod end bearing solution to be used for a given application, there are various considerations that should be made prior to committing to a purchasing decision. First and most importantly, one should determine the load capacity and maximum angular misalignment of the assembly.
Typically, symmetrical bearing motion is common, and maximum angular misalignment values typically sit at half of the total side-to-side range. Once such factors have been determined, it is then important to consider materials, threads, dimensional specifications, features, and standards.
When deciding what materials are best for a particular rod end bearing, bronze, brass, iron, and steel are common choices. Additionally, such materials may be plated with either zinc or chromium if needed. For non-metallic options, plastic, nylon, or Teflon are optimal. In order for rod end bearings to be connected to rods and shafts, they rely on a male stud with external threading or a housing with internal threading.
The most common option is to have right-handed threading that can be installed in a clockwise direction. If a left-handed threaded assembly bearing is used, it must match the part that it will be mated with.
Concerning dimensional specifications, there are a few values to be aware of. For bore diameter, one will look at the inner diameter (ID) of the bearing bore. Meanwhile, thickness refers to the length through the component. For outside diameter (OD), one is referring to the housing diameter. Lastly, overall length concerns the distance between the top of the housing to the shank’s end.
Whether you require a rod end bearing, cylinder bearing, or other various bearing parts, let the experts at ASAP Sourcing Solutions help you secure your required components with unmatched pricing and rapid lead-times. With over 2 billion items readily available for purchase at any time and 24/7x365 availability of team members, we can efficiently serve as your strategic sourcing partner.
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