Abstract
Five classes of sinter-based bearings are identified: steel-backed materials with compacted non-porous sintered linings for engine bearings and wrapped bushes; steel-backed materials with porous sintered linings impregnated with a plastic, intended for operation dry or with sparse lubrication; unbacked porous sintered-metal parts impregnated with oil to form self-lubricating bearings; unbacked non-porous sintered metal parts incorporating graphite; sintered polytetrafluoroethylene parts incorporating powdered metals. Methods of manufacture are outlined.
Techniques of bearing evaluation are described, the most useful being sophisticated, flexible test-rigs which approach closely the conditions of actual bearing applications.
The relative fatigue strengths of sintered engine-bearing linings are given and sintered copper-lead is shown to be equivalent in fatigue strength to cast linings.
The impregnation of sintered bronze linings with PTFE and lead yields a material with good un lubricated wear-resistance. The effect of load, rubbing speed, and other variables is described. A polyacetal lining bonded to a steel backing via a porous bronze interlayer gives a bearing material with good performance under conditions of sparse lubrication.
The relative merits of oil-impregnated porous metal bearings obtained by the pressing and sintering of copper, iron, or aluminium alloy powders are described. For optimum performance the bearing conditions should favour the formation of a hydrodynamic film of oil over the bearing surface.
The incorporation of graphite into fully compacted powder-metallurgy parts gives improved wear-resistance under dry and sparsely lubricated rubbing conditions.
PTFE parts incorporating metal powders can be moulded to finished size by powder-metallurgy techniques.
Notes
* Manuscript received 14 April 1969. Contribution to a Symposium on “Lubrication, Friction, and Wear (Tribology) in Powder Metallurgy” to be held in Eastbourne on 24-26 November 1969. Based on a paper presented at the Czechoslovak Powder Metallurgy Symposium 1966.