Ball spline bearings provide smooth linear motion using steel ball bearings that move in grooves on a shaft and collar. They get stronger when bent up to 45 degrees, making them ideal for dirt race cars and helicopter engine mounts due to their strength, accuracy, and reliability. The steel balls distribute pressure over a larger area, increasing the amount of power the spline can handle.
A ball spline is a type of bearing that provides smooth, unrestricted linear motion. Composed of steel ball bearings that move in deep grooves on a shaft, a collar, called a nut, also has grooves machined into it that fit the steel balls. The use of a ball groove allows the outer nut to slide freely back and forth on the shaft, while balls that fit tightly between the shaft and the nut provide the connection and subsequent transmission of power between the shaft and the dice. The ball spline is a very common method of connecting a driveshaft to the transmission in powerful late model dirt race cars.
Unlike ordinary splined shafts, the ball spline actually gets stronger when bent at angles up to 45 degrees. By placing the groove of the ball at an angle, the surface of the balls contacts the nut more, so as to maintain a stronger joint. In applications such as the drive shaft in a dirt race car, this is important due to the drive shaft’s tendency to be driven at angles as the car drifts through high corners. Modern racing suspension setup techniques also have the rear of the vehicle rise in the air on a four-bar suspension system, creating an angle between the transmission and driveshaft.
The use of ball spline shafts is also common in helicopter engine mounts. The linear motion enabled by the ball groove makes for a smooth power transition allowing for nearly frictionless linear motion at high speeds. Unlike a common spline shaft, the ball spline has higher strength due to the larger contact area of the steel balls. The rolling contact of the steel balls also prevents backlash which is common in other splined shafts. This allows for superior accuracy and reliability between the two parts of the spline shaft.
The strength of the ball groove comes from the exact fit between the steel balls and the machined grooves. With a traditional splined shaft, torque is applied only to the edge of the flat spline. Steel balls have crankshaft pressure distributed over a large area of the ball, including the top, bottom, and two sides. Under load, the power transmitted through the balls is divided among all the balls in the spline, increasing the amount of power the spline can handle and providing a smaller, easier-to-turn package than a standard spline shaft.
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