Technology · Marine Propulsion · Marine Power · Marine Materials
Innovative white metal by ZOLLERN for high performance plain bearing applications
Plain bearings are a universal machine component with many varied designs for the transfer of forces to moving functional surfaces. The distinguishing characteristics of hydrodynamic plain bearing alloys for highly stressed, fast-running machines are a high dynamic load capacity to withstand stresses and good shock-absorbing proper-ties.
Plain bearings made from white metal compound materials are a first choice for reliability and longevity in turbines, electric motors, large gearboxes and very large diesel motors. However, in some applications these do increasingly reach the limits of their capacity, as the plain bearings either need to be correspondingly large or alternative materials must be used. In practice, it has been shown that while the alternative, using aluminium-tin (AlSn) bearing materials, provides more than sufficient fatigue strength, it does not have the tolerance of white metals.
ZOLLERN was able to inspire the FVA (Forschungsver-einigung Antriebstechnik e.V., German Drive Technology Research Association), Plain Bearing Working Group with the idea of developing such a white metal.
Trials with this further development of the alloy on ZOLLERN's own, dynamic plain bearing test facilities clearly show in a benchmark comparison with the available white metal alloys on the market that the target of a 20 per cent increase in fatigue strength has definitely been achieved, both in comparison with the cadmium and arsenic-containing and the cadmium and arsenic-free high-performance materials.
After successful completion of all test phases, the intro-duction to the market of the new high-performance white metal WM 2020-pro is planned for the second half of 2012.
