Meet the Square Ball Universal Joint®
CCTY Bearing Company’s Application Design Team has developed a smoother, stronger bearing. The square ball is capable of transferring torque through misaligned applications.
A square ball has redesigned the century-old universal joint. Below are 3 advantages of the Square Ball Universal Joint (SBJ) in steering applications over u-joints with needle bearings:
Larger Load Zone
Universal joints with needle bearings are subject to line load fretting on the raceways from continued vibration, reducing the expected service life.
- The SBJ has a larger load zone than the combined line contact area of needle bearings.
- A larger load zone withstands vibrating applications by spreading the same vibrating surface pressure over a larger area.
Low Starting & Operational Torque Resistance
Starting rotational torque of a SBJ is very low, ranging from 0 to 0.025Nm when the operating angle range is 0 to 25 degrees. Since there are only 3 moving parts, starting torque is consistent.
- Needle bearing u-joints can have over 100 parts per assembly. Tolerance stack-up issues with this many components have inconsistent startup torque values from unit to unit.
- Very low and consistent startup torque values of the SBJ provide advantages for autonomous steering applications.
Boot Sealed Design
All moving components are lubricated and maintenance free.
Patent Information
An international and US patent for the SBJ has been received:
- US Patent No. 10,443,661
- China P.R. Application No. 20178000404.2