What is a sliding bearing?

Sliding bearings are bearings that work under sliding friction and are stable. The surface of the slide bearing is covered with liquid lubrication and lubricating oil, which reduces friction loss as well as surface wear. In addition, the oil film also has a certain vibration-absorbing capacity to protect the equipment. Although the friction resistance during start-up is relatively high, slide bearings are ideal for low-speed, overloaded, or difficult to maintain or lubricate operating areas.

The main components of the slide bearing are the neck and the shaft tile. The neck is the shaft part supported by the bearing, and the part corresponding to it is called the shaft tile. In order to increase the friction of the surface of the shaft tile, an abrasion material called a shaft tile lining is usually cast on the back side of the shaft tile. The material of the shaft tile and the bearing substrate is collectively called slide bearing material, and the selection of these materials is important for the performance and life of the bearing.

In terms of materials, general bearing alloys of slide bearings (also known as basi alloys or white alloys), wear-resistant cast iron, copper and aluminum alloys, powder metallurgical materials, plastic, rubber, hard wood and carbon graphite, polytetrafluoro "Roethylene (PTFE)". Each of these materials has its own characteristics and can meet different working environments and performance requirements.

Slide bearings maintain the position and positioning accuracy of the moving parts, especially when it is necessary to convert the transmission force as well as orienteering motion, such as a reciprocating piston engine, into rotational motion. Slide bearings can be divided into non-metallic slide bearings and metallic slide bearings, depending on the material used. Non-metallic slide bearings were mainly made of plastic, but metal slide bearings began to be widely used in the early 2000s.

In the manufacturing of three-layer composite bearings, spherical copper powder layer and teflon lubricant layer are added to carbon steel sheet by sintering technology. This structure not only increases the bond strength of the bearing, but also excels in load bearing and lubrication performance.

Slide bearings can be classified into two types, core slide bearings and thrust slide bearings, depending on the direction in which they are subjected to load. According to the type of lubricant can be divided into oil bearing, fat bearing, etc.; According to the thickness of the lubrication film can be divided into thin film lubrication bearing and thick film lubrication bearing; According to bearing material can be divided into bronze bearing, cast iron bearing, etc.; They can be divided into round bearings, oval bearings, etc., depending on the bearing structure. Each of these slide bearings has its own characteristics and application scenarios.

In order to improve the friction of the bearing surface, one or more layers of friction material are often cast on the inner diameter surface, which is called bearing liner. For this reason, different types of bearings, such as bi-metal bearings and triple metal bearings, are available. The choice of material is directly related to the life and operability of the bearing. In order for the bearing to perform well under various operating conditions, the bearing material, lubricant type and lubrication condition must be comprehensively considered when selecting the bearing.