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I don’t think ball hardness really matter. Chrome plating is significantly harder and wear resistant than steel. If the ball had been too weak, the chrome would have failed very quickly because it is brittle and a softer sub-surface would have deformed quickly leading to local cracking.
And the breakdown of the Teflon liner will cause the load to pile up on the edge of the outer race and concentrate the contact stress on the chrome and steel.
My feeling is this is simply a wear item, it was time.
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