Guide to Bronze Bushing
STEP 1 ASSESS CURRENT ENVIRONMENT
Below are factors that may affect a bronze bushing during operations
Bronze alloy selection will always require a compromise. By prioritizing the more important operating factors at the expense of less critical issues, you are able to prolong the service life of every bronze bushing material
Not one single type of bronze alloy can address all factors below, therefore compromise is expected
-
Bushing Load
light, medium, heavy load -
Bushing Speed
low, medium or high speed -
Acidic or Corrosive Environment
cement and mining -
Dirty Operating Environment
agricultural and construction -
Reliability of Lubrication
continuous or interrupted -
Cleanliness of Lubrication
contaminated or clean -
Operating Temperature
high temp or low heat -
Continuous or Intermittent Operation
on/off or continuous - Shaft Misalignment
- Vibration Intensity
-
Type of Shaft & Hardness
bronze-to-shaft pairing
STEP 2 LUBRICATION METHOD
For most general maintenance and bronze bushing replacement, Mixed-Film lubrication is still the most commonly used lubrication design
MIXED - FILM LUBRICATION
- Most common method of lubrication
- Grease / oil is used as lubricating agents
- Lubricant is positioned in between bronze bushing and shaft journal to reduce drag and wear
- Partial metal-to-metal contact is expected at some portions
- While the rest operates Hydrodynamically wherein bronze & shaft never makes contact
BOUNDARY LUBRICATION
- Bronze bushing and shaft journal are separated by ultra thin film of grease reducing metal-to-metal contact
- Annual periodic maintenance through hand greasing is needed to replenish lubrication
HYDRODYNAMIC LUBRICATION
- Most ideal lubrication setup since there is no metal-to-metal contact between bronze bushing and shaft
- Only minor contact during the machine’s initial start-up
- Bronze bushing can last through decades with this type of lubrication system
- Requires accurate design and precise measurements amongst all parts involved
- Applied mostly to brand new bushing set-up unless hydrodynamic lubrication is the default design
STEP 3 BRONZE ALLOY SELECTION
- Seven (7) bronze alloys to choose from
- Over >500 standard sizes on-stock available on-demand
- Refer to Alloy Selection Chart for technical data and recommended uses