Lightweight birotor drone

• What was needed: igubal® sphericalplain bearing technology
• Requirements: The spherical ball had to be lightweight and function reliably under strong temperature fluctuations, high humidity and heavy loads.
• Industry: Aerospace, drones
• Success for the customer: igubal® spherical balls are many times lighter than their metal counterparts and are therefore perfect for applications where weight is the centre of attention. They are nevertheless comparatively robust, cost-effective and maintenance-free.

The special feature of the Civic Drone Company's FSS3 drone is that it is equipped with two helicopter rotors whose swashplates have undergone a complete overhaul. Compared to other birotors, the drone frame is built around a fixed mast.
A spherical ball should be found for this, which creates the transmission to the mast and guides the oscillations of the swashplate, with which it is in ball joint connection. The spherical cap must filter a maximum of potentially transmitted vibrations of the rotor blades between the fixed mast and the sliding plate.
It should be able to achieve a minimum service life of 100 hours. While the radial load is rather low, there are other challenges due to the area of application. For example, the drone must be able to operate in strongly fluctuating temperatures and at different levels of humidity. The spherical ball must glide on a solid mat with a diameter of 15 mm. Two bearings with a maximum outer diameter of 32 mm are also pre-tensioned and mounted on a fixed plate.

Those responsible at Civic Drone have integrated igubal® spherical plain bearing technology, more precisely an igubal® spherical ball WEM 15-12, into the swashplate of the reverse birotor drone.
The assembly of the spherical ball is innovative, it has been optimised in terms of its weight and uses only one component. No screws or other retaining components are used. The canopy is mounted axially directly on the fixed mast. It fulfils two functions: Firstly, the cap translates onto the mast and guides the vibrations of the swashplate, with which it is in ball joint connection. 
Bearings with igubal® spherical ball are many times lighter than their metal counterparts and are therefore perfect for applications where weight is the centre of attention. They are nevertheless comparable robust and up to 40 % cheaper. Costs are also saved during operation, as they enable dry operation without lubrication and are therefore maintenance-free. The igubal®-spherical ball is available in various high-performance plastics, each with different specifications.