Patent ID: 7543992

Claim:
A rod end bearing comprising: a body comprising a ring portion and a rod portion; the ring portion comprising a ring having an opening and a center axis; the rod portion comprising a first rod extending radially from the ring in a direction perpendicular to the center axis; the opening having a geometry sufficient to support a ball bearing, and permitting rotation of the ball bearing inside the ring, the ball bearing being substantially spherical and being capable of attachment to a second rod; an inner periphery of the ring being in contact with the ball bearing; a wear coating on at least a portion of the inner periphery of the ring; and an antifriction coating disposed on a surface selected from the group consisting of a surface of the wear coating, a surface selected from the group consisting of a surface of the wear coating, a surface of the ball bearing and combinations thereof, the antifriction coating maintaining a coefficient of friction between the wear coating and the ball bearing of up to about 0.95 atmospheres substantially devoid of water vapor.