RUBBER BEARINGS

Shannon News, 29 July 1927, Page 1

RUBBER BEARINGS

Several Continental cars have adopted rubber bushed bearings for the spring: shackles to avoid the necessity of lubrication. The rubber is compressed by a new process to that it will carry th e bo*dy weight Without distortion. The bushes are in the form of a sleeve with a rubber core and a central metal tube to take the shackle bolt. These bearing* can be used on any part of the car which does not' rotate( b>it merely oscillates smell r a»gl e and some cars are using- as many as 12 of the bushes to replace the usual type of bearing-. All the necessary movement takes place In the fibres of the rubber itself, there being no slip at all at either the inner or the outter surfaces of th e bush. Consequently there can be no wear, and the bearings will last indefinitely without attention. The exposed area of the rubber Is so small that it is not affected by atmospheric conditions, oil or water.

In the process of manufacture the rubberVsleeve employed in the bearing is forced between inner and outer steel sleeves in such a way that its outside diameter is decreased, its inside diameter extended, and its length nearly doubled. As a result, th e rubber of the sleeve (when in position) is subject to great radial compression so that it will withstand considerable radial loads without deforming any further.