Substitute Alloys as Bearing Materials

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.