Abstract
It was considered that an assessment of the comparative performance of plain bearings subject to the impulsive type of load produced in compression-ignition engines would be a useful contribution to bearing knowledge. A machine for testing bearings under these conditions of loading was developed. The use of such a machine obviates the disadvantages that the use of an engine entails in respect of accurate measurement of the actual load on the test bearing, replacement of damaged journals, facility for changing journal materials and ease of examination of bearings. The use of a machine also allows the bearing to be assessed on its own merit by freeing the bearing from the influence of deleterious factors which are introduced when a bearing is housed in an engine, for example, indeterminate and variable misalignment, contaminated oil.
A description of the development of a prototype machine and of the machine in its final form is given.
The procedure for assessing the load capacity of bearings is described and the relative load-carrying capacities of various kinds of bearing material are given. The effects of changes in the lubrication conditions and also the effects of a certain amount of misalignment were determined. The changes of the running surface with increasing load and the effects of increased speed and of rate of loading (applied separately) were examined.
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