What are the main reasons that affect the performance of self-lubricating bearings?

The performance of self-lubricating bearings is largely affected by the surface roughness and hardness of the matching bearing materials. High-quality shaft surfaces can extend bearing life. On the contrary, rough, low hardness surfaces affect and reduce the service life of the bearing.

A. Shaft surface roughness

1. When used under fluid lubrication conditions, the matching shaft surface is required to be mirror-finished to minimize the gap of the oil film to make it close to the fluid lubrication state, thereby improving the performance of the bearing.

2. The bearing is used under dry friction conditions, as long as the matched shaft surface roughness Ra=0.4-063 is controlled.

B. The hardness of the shaft

The surface hardness of the shaft is not less than 220HB. Under high load and rocking motion conditions, the shaft must be heat-treated with a hardness of HRC50 or higher or plated with hard chrome, and then ground. After surface treatment, it can improve corrosion resistance, increase surface hardness, and improve lubricity. Under similar corrosive conditions such as sea water, the matching shaft must be plated with two to three layers of hard chromium. The rough surface of the shaft, sharp burrs and grooves will damage the sliding layer of the bearing.

Therefore, to choose a good self-lubricating bearing manufacturer, you must also choose a qualified bearing material to make the self-lubricating bearing work normally.