An Investigation of tribological properties of the journal bearings produced from zinc-aluminum based alloys

SIMMARY An Investigation of Tribological Properties of the Journal Bearings Produced from zinc- Aluminum-Based Alloys. A ternary zinc-aluminum-copper, a quaternary zinc- aluminum-copper -sil icon and a commerical ZA-27 alloys were produced by permanent mould casting. The wear behavior of the plain bearings produced from these alloys, was examined in the as-cast and heat-treated conditions, using a new bearing test rig. It was found that all the bearings produced from zinc- aluminum based alloys in the as-cast and heat-treated conditions exhibited superior wear behavior than the bearings produced from the DIN-1705 bronze. In addition, all the bearings produced from the alloys in the as-cast condition exhibited superior wear behavior than the bearings produced from heat-treated alloys. Among the zinc-aluminum based alloys, the highest wear resistance was obtained with the bearings produced from silicon and copper containing quaternary ZnAl40Cu2Si2 alloy in the as-cast and heat- treated conditions, while the bearing produced from copper containing ternary ZnA160Cu2 alloy shown the lowest wear resistance in the stabilized condition. It was also found that, among the bearings tested under intermediate speed and high load conditions, the best performance was obtained from the bearings produced of zinc- alUminum based monotectoid alloys containing copper and silicon Key Words: Zinc-aluminum alloys, Tribology, Journal bearings, Bearing alloys.