Environmental contamination and impact loads are common in construction machinery, off-highway vehicles and similar applications. Typically, these applications are also exposed to outdoor conditions such as wind and rain. In these situations, IKO spherical bushings can provide robust oscillating motion due to their sealing feature and their ability to handle large radial and bi-directional axial loads at the same time. IKO spherical plain bushings feature a double-lip type polyurethane seal that effectively prevent grease leakage and dust penetration.

IKO’s spherical plain bushings feature inner and outer rings with spherical sliding surfaces that allow for oscillating or repeated tilting movements. IKO offers a broad line of spherical bushings available in both inch and metric series that can manage a variety of load and environmental challenges. Although there are many types of spherical bushings, we categorize them into two types:

• Steel-on-steel bushings. With inner and outer rings made from high carbon chromium bearing steel, this type of bushing can support high loads and handle alternate and shock loads. Its phosphate-treated sliding surfaces are dry-coated with molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), providing low-torque operation and exceptional wear resistance.
• Maintenance-free spherical bushings. These bushings are well-suited for applications with fixed directional loads or where oil is undesirable or access to lubrication is difficult. They consist of an outer ring with a special PTFE liner reinforced with a copper alloy mesh on the sliding surface, and the spherical inner ring has a hard chromium-plated sliding surface. The result: effective wear resistance and small creep deformation to promote maintenance-free operation over an extended time.

Our spherical bushings can be found in a variety of equipment such as two-wheel vehicles, construction machinery, ladles for liquid steel teeming, lapping machines in semiconductor fabrication and medical CT scanners.

Achieve Long Service Life and Lower Costs

If your bearing system is subjected to high impact loads or is exposed to harsh environmental conditions and is susceptible to wear, there’s a good chance that IKO’s spherical bushings can tackle these challenges. Our spherical bushings can help prevent wear and lubrication problems so you’ll achieve a long bearing life and keep maintenance and repair costs low. 

For more information about IKO International’s spherical bushings, visit our product page.

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