Substitute Alloys as Bearing Materials

Abstract

Modern engineering depends in many instances upon bearings, components which allow relative motion to occur between the members of a mechanism. Bearings may take many forms but the most widely used types are plain and rolling bearings. The continuous demand for better power-to-weight ratios for increased mechan- ical efficiency leads to a constant demand for bearing materials of improved strength to operate at increased speeds under heavier loads at higher temperatures. Whilst the materials of construction should be as cheap as possible, an important consideration in developing countries, particularly India, is the availability of the raw materials, thus the metallurgist must not only search for improved bearing materials but also for suit-able substitute indigenous materials.