Quote:
Originally Posted by fe1rx
Very nice. I am really impressed by how long an OE spherical bearing lasts provided the seal remains intact, so I wanted to use a similar approach. I have reverse engineered the bearing cavity on the M3 toe arm and figured out how to swage the thing together, so I will use this approach on my prototype arms as I bought a couple of M3 toe arms to a) test and b) get the bearings from.
This wouldn't be a good approach for a commercialized solution (which I am not intending to do). I had assumed the M3 bearing cavity would have been cylindrical, but it is actually hemispherical and thus much more critical with respect to tolerances. Your approach is a good one. Does Hirschmann make the bellows seals? I briefly considered using a standard Aurora spherical bearing with turned spacers pressed in from each side, but I did not find a convenient source for appropriate seals so stuck with the M3 bearing approach.
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I notice the same issue with reproducing the M3 bearing cavity. I though about this but the swaging was a deal breaker for me. Getting the swaged area material to flow without cracking and preload tolerance is a bit of pain with this design. Hirschmann does make bellow seal for many sizes. They are made of Viton and do not require a clip. The cost about $10 each so not cheap.
Your certainly welcome to my CAD files (STEP or Pro/e) and drawing which you could modify to your liking. The drawing have all the details and part numbers. I would do a few thing differently and change a few tolerances if I were to make these again. Drop my PM with an email I can send you the files for review.The cost for seals and bearings is about 240. 00 US.