Properties and Performance of Plastic Bearing Materials

Abstract

Abstract Bearings made of plastic materials can be used successfully not only for the case of perfect fluid lubrication but also for that of semifluid lubrication. Certain additions, such as graphite, will sometimes permit the application of these materials under conditions of dry friction. By virtue of good physical properties these bearings find a wide application. Heavy-duty plastic bearings are used in the steel-mill industry. Lubricated and cooled with water, they carry heavy loads at pressures of several thousand pounds per square inch. As guide bearings their performance ranges from small, high-speed spindles, to large ship-propeller shafts. Oil-, water-, and grease-lubricated plastic bearings are used extensively in industrial, marine, and farm machinery. There are many differences in the behavior of plastic and metal bearing materials by virtue of which the performance is also different. This article intends to point out the most important physical properties, as well as some of the characteristic performances of plastic bearing materials.