Development of composite spherical bearing

Carbon–phenolic woven composite materials are employed in heavy-duty bearings due to their inherent self-lubricating properties and thermal stability. In this work, a composite spherical bearing (CSB) composed of carbon–phenolic composite race and steel ball is developed to solve the seizure of conventional metal–metal spherical bearings for the elevation driving mechanism (EDM) of a future battle tank. In order to eliminate machining and assembling processes of the composite race, the composite race was manufactured with precise compression molding on the ball surface directly. Several self-lubricating particles were embedded to improve the tribological properties of the inner surface of the composite race. Also the compressive strength of the carbon–phenolic composite with interior wrinkles which were induced during the compression molding was measured to verify the applicability of the carbon composite spherical bearing to the future battle tank.