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Spherical bearing
What is a spherical bearing?
A spherical bearing is a mechanical component designed to adapt misalignment between two connected components, and are used in many applications. The contact surface of these bearings allow angular movement between connected components and unlike a conventional bearing, a spherical bearing accommodates changes in alignment while allowing the connected components to move freely. This makes spherical bearings ideal for pivoting, oscillating and articulated movements.
There are various types of spherical bearings; these include rod ends, pillow block bearings, spherical insert bearings, flange bearings and ball-and-socket joints. The type of application will determine the right type of spherical bearing needed for each application. Factors such as load, movement, speed, misalignment, temperature and operating environment all need to be considered when designing spherical bearings into applications. A key areas where these are commonly used are applications where a shaft, pin or joint needs to pivot, however it still needs to be able to support a load successfully.
This page explains how spherical bearings work and explores the different types available, where they are used, what to consider when selecting a spherical bearing and the technical data alongside this.
We provide online design tools to help calculate service life, ensuring optimal performance and reliability in your application.
Advantages of our spherical bearings
Lubrication & maintenance-free
Our spherical bearings are 100% lubrication and maintenance-free. This makes them particularly resistant to dust and dirt and significantly reduces maintenance requirements, ensuring a longer service life of the bearings.
Cost efficiency
Our spherical bearings offer a particularly cost-effective solution for your applications. Due to the absence of lubricants and the long service life, you not only save on the purchase costs, but also on the ongoing operating costs. What's more, there is no minimum order value!
Resilience
Our spherical bearings are corrosion-free and can be used in liquid media. Depending on the material selected, they are resistant up to a temperature of +200°C, making them ideal for use in demanding environments.
Vibration dampening and precision
The spherical bearings are characterised by their excellent vibration dampening, which contributes to quieter and more efficient operation of your machines.
Lightweight construction
With their light weight construction, our spherical bearings are ideal for applications where every gramme counts. They help to reduce the overall weight of your constructions, enabling more efficient and lighter designs.
Quick availability
We know how important fast delivery times are for your projects. That's why we dispatch our spherical bearings within 24 hours if we have the stock in the UK.
Browse spherical bearing types and properties
Spherical bearings vs other bearing types
| Bearing type | Movement | Misalignment | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spherical bearing | Rotational/ angular | High | Pivoting joints |
| Self-aligning bearing | Rolling | High | Pivot and tilting |
| Ball bearing | Rotation/ rolling | Low | High-speed rotation |
| Roller bearing | Rotation/ rolling | Low | High radial loads |
| Plain bearing | Rotational/ sliding | Limited | Pivot and shafts |
Applications where spherical bearings are used
Customer application examples
Indoor or outdoor. Underwater or above water. Hot or cold.
Our products are designed for harsh and demanding environments and work well where other materials reach their limits.
Here is a selection of customer projects that we have already completed. Do you also have a demanding environment?
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
Spherical bearings are designed to allow for angular misalignment between two connected components. The igus® range of spherical bearings include rod ends, spherical plain bearings, fixed flange bearings, spherical plain bearings, spherical insert bearings, spherical balls, coupling joints, clevis joints and pillow block bearings.
There are a range of materials that the igubal® spherical bearing range can be made of, so it depends on the application. The standard housing is igumid® G and the balls tend to be iglidur® J or W300. However there are a large range of materials available.
The purpose of self-aligning bearings are to allow for angular misalignment between the shaft and the housing.
Ball and socket joints are also referred to as axial articulation joints, which are mechanical bearing assemblies designed to enable multi-axis angular displacement and rotational motion between two connected components.
The joint consists of a spherical male element (the ball) and a concave spherical female housing (the socket). This geometry forms a spherical plain bearing interface, enabling the connected parts to pivot, rotate, and accommodate misalignment while transmitting load.
At igus, we have a range of both plastic and metal ball and socket joints in our igubal range.
Spherical bearings are used for various reasons from mis-alignment adjustments, to re-distributing loads and reducing friction.
A spherical roller bearing is a type of roller bearing designed to enable rotation with low friction in an application. They use two rows of barrel-shaped rollers running on a spherical outer raceway, which makes them self-aligning. This allows them to carry high radial loads while compensating for angular misalignment between the shaft and housing.
Additional resources & technical information
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