Motorsports

Manufacturing program

AURORA® rod ends and spherical bearings are manufactured to meet the following motorsports specifications: small size for space saving, high load capacity, wear resistance, long life, resistance to environmental conditions; last but not least, AURORA products are economical. The AURORA® program includes a number of manufacturing techniques and materials to ensure quality and versatility; currently the AURORA® series include the following:

• 27 ranges for different INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
• 12 ranges for MOTOR SPORT RACING, motorbikes and vehicles
• 6 ranges for MILITARY and AEROSPACE applications

The ranges include rod ends, both metric and inches, with male or female shaft, either right-hand or left-hand, UNF pitch (inches and metric) and spherical bearings without shaft.

Applications

The racing components include the following:

• high load capacity
• mixed radial-axial loads
• high resistance to shocks and vibrations
• no clearance, tight fit, wear resistance
• fine thread pitch for registration
• resistance to high temperatures
• small sizes and weight

Anti-friction liners

AURORA® liners have been designed and patended by Aurora Bearing Company; AT3200 liner is used also in parte for aerospace application and is qualified complying MILB81820 specifications, which set strict limits for wear and clearance increase in the gliding coupling. Liner is chemically bonded to the steel race; thanks to its surface hardness and very high resistance to specific pressure, AURORA® parts with this liner can be compared for load capacity and wear resistance to AURORA® of same sizes, but with steel/steel coupling.

Non-standard shapes

A number of AURORA rod ends and spherical bearings are manufactured in non-standard shapes to better meet the harsh requirements of motor racing. To increase load bearing capacity the head sections and shanks of the XAM.. rod ends range are larger than the standard version. In HAB-T spherical bearings and HXAM-T rod ends, the inner ring is wider than normal and equipped with two distancing collars to allow for an increased tipping angle.

Jam-nuts with UNF threads, suitable for our rod ends, are available on demand.

Advantages

The use of fine-pitch threaded shanks—available in both right-hand and left-hand configurations—allows precise adjustment of linkage length in tie-rod and linkage bar systems fitted with rod ends, improving overall assembly accuracy and mechanical stability.

Technical decription

RODOBAL® rod ends with suffix “..MTE” feature a forged CrMoNi alloy steel body, heat-treated to achieve maximum mechanical strength and load capacity.

The spherical inner ring is manufactured from hardened 100Cr6 bearing steel. Both bore and spherical contact surfaces are precision-ground, while the inner ring is further enhanced with a chrome-plated finish to improve wear resistance and durability.

The suffix “E” in the ..MTE designation indicates the presence of a reinforced PTFE insert positioned between the spherical inner ring and the steel housing. This antifriction liner ensures permanent self-lubrication of the joint, enabling maintenance-free operation.

The sliding spherical interface operates without clearance and does not require additional lubrication. As a result, these units are designed without lubrication holes or grease nipples on the body. Compared to conventional rod ends equipped with grease fittings, RODOBAL® maintenance-free versions offer higher load-carrying capacity and improved long-term performance.

The spherical fit is engineered as a controlled preload interference fit, ensuring a tight assembly that minimizes early clearance formation and preserves performance stability throughout the service life of the component.

Fine-pitch threaded shanks—available in both right-hand and left-hand configurations—allow precise adjustment of the overall length of linkage bars and tie-rod assemblies incorporating rod ends.

RODOBAL® RM ..MTE rod ends features corrosion-resistant configurations, achieved through bright nickel plating of the body, the use of stainless steel for the race, and chrome plating of the inner ring, ensuring suitability for aggressive and corrosive environments.

The product

Rubber side seals RELS.., for use on rod ends, made out of high quality rubber compound, In their bore there is an integrated stainless steel washer, for positioning on face of rod end ball bore. The rubber outer rim provides sealing effect while pressing on the rod end eye rim.

Advantages

Use of RELS.. side seals protects the spherical gliding coupling from dirt and provides longer life for rod ends, especially in PTFE lined parts that do no require lubrication. Installation of side seals is easy and quick and inspection of rod ends easily possible.

Protections for rod ends

In some machinery, equipment or vehicle there may be the need for a barrier between the spherical gliding coupling of rod ends and the environment; this need may have two different reasons: protecting the rod ends from corrosion or contamination (humidity, dirt) and ensuring long life for PTFE lined rod ends or –when using rod end that need lubrication- preventing contamination of environment by the grease used for lubrication (food processing, textile machinery).

Rod ends protections are made by a neoprene rubber boot with three short sleeves, a bottom sleeve for the rod end shaft and two side sleeves for the pin or bolt passing through the bore of the spherical inner ring.

Specifically designed steel spacers (DR distance rings) allow tightening of bolt through the rod end without pressing on the rubber material.

For installation of RERS protections bottom sleeve must be spread enough to pass on rod end eye, use a bent plier and oil the rod end surface to perform this task easier.

Neoprene protections RERS can be used on both rod ends with female or male shaft, out of any production RODOBAL® and AURORA® series.

Jam-nuts with non-common threads

When using rod ends, hexagonal jam-nuts are often used for thightening and securing against getting loose.

Technically it is a very simple issue, but in case of rod ends with not so common threads (like left-hand, fine threads or –in Europe- imperial UNF threads) or stainless steel material, user may have issues with generic fasteners vendors trying to source limited quantities of low-profile (half nuts) jam-nuts with not so common threads or in stainless steel version.

To prevent this kind of frustrating experience with fasteners vendors, we have built up an inventory of not so common jam-nuts, in three main groups:

• Jam-nuts with fine thread pitch, for pneumatic cylinders or motorsports application (example metric fine M16x1,5)
• Stainless steel jam-nuts, right-hand and left-hand
• Jam-nuts, right-hand and left-hand with imperial UNF threads