Plain Bearings Outperform Rolling-Element Bearings

Simple but Strong: The Plain Bearing Advantage Plain bearings can meet the high-load, lowmaintenance, long-life needs of demanding applications. • Plain bearings can replace rolling-element bearings in many applications. • Simpler designs and one-piece construction cut plain bearings' maintenance requirements. • Larger contact areas let plain bearings bear more load, resist shocks, and tolerate misalignment. Basics of Design Engineering: Bearing topics, "Composite bearings keep heavy equipment on track," MACHINE DESIGN, Nov. 18, 2004, , 700 Mid Atlantic Pkwy., Box 189, Thorofare, NJ 08086 Plain or sleeve bearings are replacing rolling-element bearings in a wide range of products including pumps, wind turbines, and equipment for agriculture and construction. Once it was thought that complex parts required complex rolling-element bearings, but designers are learning that plain bearings' design simplicity has its advantages. That's not to say that plain bearings are right for every application where rolling-element bearings are currently installed. Extremely precise shaft-location or low-friction requirements, for example, could preclude the use of plain bearings. But for many applications, replacing traditional rolling-element bearings with today's advanced plain bearings gives users both a technological and competitive edge. When properly applied, plain bearings save weight and space, carry more load, need less maintenance, and damp vibration better than their rolling-element counterparts. Leading the replacement trend are former needle-bearing users, who say plain bearings more easily accommodate small dimensional changes in housings and shafts. Erstwhile users of larger ball and roller bearings are also realizing considerable savings from plain bearings. Automotive engineers have already converted rolling- element bearings to plain bearings in pumps, steering systems, air-conditioning compressors, engine rocker arms, throttle butterfly valves, gearboxes, and transmissions. And redesigned brakes, universal joints, alternators, and starter motors are on the horizon. Designers of wind turbines and agricultural equipment have made similar changes. One factor that attracts designers to