Suspension Strut Thrust Bearing

Conventional suspension strut thrust bearing has been either steel ball or needle bearing. The attempts to replace the rolling element bearing with single layer plastic bearing did not gain much success. The authors have succeeded in replacing these with an injection molded self-lubricating plastic bearing. With the unique combination of three plastic layers, the authors have reduced the rotational torque considerably compared to the single layer plastic bearing. The plastic material has been developed at the authors laboratory for several years for lower friction, compounded with various lubricants and molded with lip (labyrinth) seal to prevent dust intrusion.