Development of New Journal Bearing Designs

The paper examines a new journal bearing design which, based on a plastic and metal construction, offers load-bearing and lubricating advantages over previous all-metal and plastic-metal designs.

The new design consists of a .3 to .5 mm plastic film deposited over a metal journal; the journal seating is metal. This design was compared to other conventional coatings of various metals as well as other metal-plastic pairings in a variety of tests. Whereas low thermal conductivity of all-plastic journals led to uneven heating and subsequent wearing, the plastic film journals showed very good service-life. Frictional torque on the journal seating was lower for the plastic film combinations than for all-metal designs. Maximum load tests also showed the former's superior load bearing characteristics within acceptable wear levels. Excellent lubricating characteristics of plastic films, partially due to electrostatic effects, also enhanced wear characteristics. Industrial repair of the new journal bearings is also possible