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These double row self-aligning rod ends have inner rings and balls made from thru-hardened 52100 or 440C stainless to accommodate an application’s corrosion resistance needs.  The bearings are lubricated 80 to 100% fill in compliance with MIL-PRF-81322, MIL-PRF-23827, and Boeing’s BMS3-33 specifications.  Ball bearing rod ends are equipped with PTFE seals bonded to corrosion resistant caps.

The rod end body is selectively heat treated to provide a combination of a fracture tough head, ductile shank, and a carburized raceway to provide high load carrying capacity.  External surfaces are plated with cadmium to provide corrosion protection and thread lubricity.  The rod end body can be supplied to AISI8620 or SRG’s proprietary AeroCres? corrosion resistant material.

Rod End Bearings, also known as a heim joint (N. America) or rose joint (U.K. and elsewhere), are a mechanical articulating joint. Rod End Bearings are used on the ends of cylinders, linkages, rods, and shafts to take up misalignment between connected parts. They consist of a spherically-shaped inner ring and a cylindrical bore for mounting on a shaft. Rod End ina bearings attach to rods and shafts via a male stud with external threads or a female housing with internal threads. Right-handed threads tighten in a clockwise direction and are the most commonly used type of thread. Left-handed threads tighten in a counterclockwise direction and must match the mating part. 

Rod end bearings differ in terms of dimensional specifications and special features. Dimensional specifications include design units, bore diameter, major diameter, bearing thickness, housing diameter, overall length, and thread length. English design units include inches (in) and fractions of an inch. Metric design units include millimeters (mm) and centimeters (cm). Bore diameter is the inner diameter (ID) of the bearing bore. Major diameter is the nominal diameter to the top of the threads. Bearing thickness is the length through the bore. Housing diameter is the outside diameter (OD) of the bearing housing. Overall length is the distance from the top of the housing to the end of the shank. In terms of special features, some rod end fag bearings are self-lubricating or include a lubrication port. Others are corrosion-resistant or equipped with PTFE seals. 

A rod end bearing, also known as a heim joint (N. America) or rose joint (U.K. and elsewhere), is a mechanical articulating joint. Such joints are used on the ends of control rods, steering links, tie rods, or anywhere a precision articulating joint is required. A ball swivel with an opening through which a bolt or other attaching hardware may pass is pressed into a circular casing with a threaded shaft attached. The threaded portion may be either male or female.

The spherical rod end bearing was developed by the Germans in World War II. When one of the first German planes to be shot down by the British in early 1940 was examined, they found this joint in use in the aircraft's control systems. The H.G. Heim Company was given an exclusive patent to manufacture these joints in North America, while in the UK the patent passed to Rose Bearings Ltd.The ubiquity of these manufacturers in their respective markets led to the terms heim joint and rose joint becoming synonymous with their product. After the patents ran out, the common names stuck although "rose joint" remains a registered trademark of Rose Bearings Ltd. Originally used in aircraft, the [rod end bearings]  may be found in cars, trucks, race cars, motorcycles, lawn tractors, boats, industrial machines, go-karts, radio-control helicopters, and many more applications.

Rod End Bearings offered as self-lubricating with TFE liners for reduced friction. Also can be supplied as metal to metal types. They are recommended for applications requiring considerable oscillation and misalignment under very heavy loads and where frequent lubrication is undesirable or impossible. Suited for hydraulic actuators, many aircraft landing gear door applications, vibration dampening devices, hinge and actuation link bearings for control surfaces, sliding guide bearings for flaps and leading edge slats, and power control system drive link bearings. Many others not mentioned. Numerous options available for special applications based on specific conditions, such as temperature, load, misalignment and load strength factors.