Self-aligning ball and socket bearing assembly

Abstract

A ball and socket bearing assembly adapted to receive the vertical post of a rudder installed in the stern of a boat. The assembly consists of a molded journal box having a spheroidal cavity therein defining a socket in which is nested a ball-like bearing formed of UHMW polyethylene or of a material having similar non-stick properties, the post passing through an axial bore in the bearing. The assembly is produced by placing the preformed bearing in a mold to create an annular space between the bearing and the inner wall of the mold. This space is then flooded with a curable liquid resin monomer whereby when the monomer is polymerized and rigidified, it does not bond to the non-stick bearing. The bearing is therefore free to rotate in the cavity and align itself with the rudder post regardless of the degree to which the post deviates from the vertical as a result of hydrodynamic or other forces imposed on the rudder.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.