A cylindrical elastomeric bearing including a plurality of elastomeric layers arranged about a central bore. The elastomeric layers are characterized by a middle portion having a first thickness and two outer portions having a second thickness, the second thickness being greater than the first thickness, the one or more elastomeric layers being tapered between the middle portion and the outer portions. One or more shim layers, each of the plurality of shim layers being arranged between two of the plurality of elastomeric layers. The shim layers are shaped to fit with the elastomer layers.

A socket for a ball joint having a socket body with an opening and a hollow space, which comprises a concave inside peripheral surface that delimits the hollow space and extends around a longitudinal axis, and which is axially divided into two body halves which merge together in a transition zone, each of which comprises an inside peripheral surface half. A first body half comprises a first inside peripheral surface half which lies on a spherical surface and is closed, in the circumferential direction, and a second body half which comprises the socket opening, at least one slot extending axially and a second inside peripheral surface half which is closed in the circumferential direction, or closed apart from the slot. The second body half is designed such that the second inside peripheral surface half lies outside the spherical surface at least an axial distance away from the transition zone.

This assembly includes a ball joint assembled in a casing, and receiving an axle capable of sliding and/or rotating therein. The ball joint is formed from the winding of a fabric of small thickness ranging between 20 μm and 150 μm and mixed with a resin comprising fillers. The fabric has the form of strips having a width ranging between 5 mm and 200 mm; the strips being crossed in several layers.

A method for producing a bearing component includes providing a bearing component blank with an iron-based metal substrate, hardening the metal substrate, treating the metal substrate by an alkaline treatment bath in a region to form an iron oxide-based blackening layer as a conversion layer with an initial layer thickness (db) on the region, and rolling a spherical body over the region to compress the conversion layer in the region to form a bearing component with a protective layer having a final layer thickness (de) that is less than 95% of the initial layer thickness (db). The spherical body may be a component part of a hydrostatic finish rolling tool or a hydrostatic deep rolling tool. The spherical body may include a hard metal or a ceramic.

An anti-friction lacquer has a resin matrix of a polymer and functional fillers containing mixed-phase oxides having a specified grinding hardness and proportion and optionally contain further functional fillers. A sliding element is also disclosed having a metallic substrate layer and a coating applied to the substrate that is made of at least in part of the anti-friction.

A difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of arithmetic mean roughness Ra of an annular surface region in contact with a larger flange surface, in a larger end face of the tapered roller, is not greater than 0.02 μm. A value of a ratio R/R.sub.BASE is not smaller than 0.75 and not greater than 0.87 where R represents a set radius of curvature of the larger end face of the tapered roller and R.sub.BASE represents a distance from a point which is an apex of a cone angle of the tapered roller to the larger flange surface of the inner ring. A ratio R.sub.process/R is not lower than 0.5 where R.sub.process represents an actual radius of curvature after grinding of the larger end face of the tapered roller and R represents a set radius of curvature.

A laminate article can include a substrate and a layer of a heterogeneous mixture of a non-fluorinated polymer compound and a fluorinated polymer compound. The laminate article can include a gradual concentration gradient along an axis perpendicular to the substrate. The gradual concentration gradient can include the change of the amount of the non-fluorinated polymer and the fluorinated polymer compound relative to the axis perpendicular to the substrate. The layer can further include at least one filler. The laminate can be applied as a bearing material.

A retaining element for retaining a component within a receiving part, the retaining element including: a neck portion to be received within a notch formed in the receiving part; a first head portion coupled to the neck portion end and defining a first shoulder; a second head portion coupled to another neck portion end and defining a second shoulder, wherein the first and second shoulders oppose one another and are to abut first and second surfaces of the receiving part so as to engage the retaining element with the receiving part; wherein the first and/or second head portions include a retaining tab having a retaining surface, wherein the retaining tab has a receiving position for receiving the component and retaining position for retaining the component; wherein, in the retaining position, the retaining tab extends beyond the neck portion so the retaining surface abuts the component surface to retain the component.

A sliding-hearing composite material includes a steel supporting layer (10), an intermediate layer (12) based on an aluminum alloy that is free of lead, and a bearing metal layer (14) based on an aluminum alloy that is free of lead, wherein the aluminum alloy of the intermediate layer (12) has a composition having 3.5 to 4.5 wt % copper, 0.1 to 1.5 wt % manganese, 0.1 to 1.5 wt % magnesium, and the usual admissible impurities, the remainder being aluminum, and wherein the aluminum alloy of the bearing mental layer (14) has a composition having wt % tin, 1.0-3.0 wt % nickel, 0.5-1.0 wt % manganese, 0.5-1.0 wt % copper, 0.15-0.25 wt % chromium, 0.1-0.3 wt % vanadium, and the usual admissible impurities, he remainder being aluminum. A sliding bearing element and the use of the sliding-bearing composite material for sliding bearing element, particularly sliding bearing shells, sliding bearing bushes, or thrust washers is also disclosed.

A thrust washer may include a metallic substrate layer having an axial substrate face. The thrust washer may also include a polymer layer on the axial substrate face. The polymer layer may have an axial polymer face opposed to the axial substrate face. The axial polymer face may be profiled and may have at least one oil distribution groove. At least one of the substrate layer and the polymer layer may be a machined layer having a thickness that may vary in correspondence with the at least one distribution groove.