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Question Rod End Bearing Suggestions

Discussion in 'DIY Motion Simulator Building Q&A / FAQ' started by PMK, Jun 1, 2021.

  1. PMK

    PMK Member

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    Hey guys, its come time to replace the rod end bearings of my simulator. My current bearings seem to have a bit of play in them and amplify any noise and vibration from the rig making it quite noisy.

    I'm thinking of buying some of these:
    https://au.rs-online.com/web/p/rod-ends/3113014/

    Plastic self lubricating rod ends that are apparently great for vibration environments. Has anyone used or heard of these before?

    Any other suggestions for a good set of rod ends?
    PMK, Jun 1, 2021
    #1
  2. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
    3DOF, DC motor, JRK
    Not heard of those before, but looks like an interesting alternative to traditional heim joints.

    Tie rod ends are the other option, as they have a greater surface area.
    noorbeast, Jun 1, 2021
    #2
  3. alexdraco

    alexdraco Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Ciao,
    i advise you to use the classic metal ball joints with self-lubricating bushing inside. The noises you hear during the movement are probably the axial tolerance of the ball coupled to the pin or the diameter of the pin and the diameter of the ball hole are not in tolerance (usually it is in H, pasty assembly). Make sure that on the end of the pin the washer that locks the ball compresses the ball against the stop of the pin. In summary, diameters of keying and forced fixing of the ball avoid the noises you hear.
    I hope I have explained myself well, my English is bad.
    alexdraco, Jun 8, 2021
    #3
  4. PMK

    PMK Member

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    So I've tried all of that, there's no play between the bolt (pin) and joint. The noise sounds to be coming from the ball joint and metal housing, packing grease into it helps but only temporarily.

    I decided to order those plastic ones as the metal ones were out of stock for another 2 months. They have a max static radial load rating of 900N (short term) and 450N (long term) which isn't that high but we'll see how they go...

    450N is roughly 45 kg of force. I wouldn't be surprised if these flexed / failed after some time...

    KBRM-12 in this datasheet (https://docs.rs-online.com/b484/0900766b8149e4e3.pdf)
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2021
    PMK, Jun 9, 2021
    #4
  5. alexdraco

    alexdraco Member

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    Ciao,
    I understand your choice. The cost is not high and it is worth a try.

    Ciao
    alexdraco, Jun 9, 2021
    #5