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Plain bearings in heavy-duty applications

Comparison: lubricated metallic bearings vs. igutex® plain bearings

Heavy-duty test rig for plain bearings

Test parameter

Force/load:
80MPa (12.8t on a plain bearing with Ø 40mm,
length 40mm)

Speed:
0.01m/s (30 cycles 50°/min.)

Shaft:
42 CroMo4+QT gas nitrocarburised with post-oxidation

Cycles:
50,000 = 1.75km running performance

Test result overview

Shaft and steel bearing


16MnCr5 steel bearing, hardened

  • Lubricated every four hours (unloaded)
  • Test stopped after about 10,000 cycles
  • Severe shaft wear
Shaft and bronze bearing


Bronze bearing

  • Lubricated every four hours (unloaded)
  • Test stopped after about 10,000 cycles
  • Severe shaft wear
Shaft and metal-polymer bearing


Metal-polymer bearing

  • Lubricated every four hours (unloaded)
  • Achieved 50,000 cycles
  • Severe bearing and shaft wear
Shaft and igutex fibre composite bearings


igus igutex TX1 plain bearing

  • Tested in dry operation
  • Achieved 50,000 cycles
  • Wear-resistant
  • Best result in the test

iglidur® and igutex® plain bearings in a wear test with various loads

Graph 1 At 45MPa, both iglidur and igutex return low wear results.
Graph 2 At 75MPa, depending on the shaft used, iglidur Q3E is also a viable alternative to igutex.
Graph 3 At a load of 100MPa, igutex® TX3 exhibits the lowest wear by far.

Further information on lubrication-free heavy-duty bearing point operation


Our white papers and fact sheets inform you about a variety of topics, including corrosion, dirt and sealing, and plain bearing and locating spigot installation methods.
White paper preview

Lubrication-free bearing points in construction machinery

Amongst other things, the white paper covers the following topics:
  • Important functions of lubrication in plain bearings
  • Reasons for switching to lubrication-free plain bearings
  • Differentiation: lubrication-free iglidur® plain bearings vs. lubricated metallic bearings
  • How self-lubricating plain bearings work
  • This must be taken into account when changing to dry-running plain bearings
Download now for free (PDF)
Heavy-duty brochure preview

Heavy-duty brochure

Find out more about the following topics:
  • Discussions with our development experts
  • Material overview for heavy-duty plain bearings
  • How iglidur and igutex materials work
  • Lubrication – a challenge for industry
  • Sustainable product developments
  • practical application examples
Download now for free (PDF)
Fact sheet preview

Fact sheet – Gas nitrocarburisation

How well does gas nitrocarburisation protect shafts from corrosion? In the test, various shaft materials were subjected to a salt spray test in combination with iglidur® plain bearings and igutex® fibre composite plain bearings. All test results can be found on the fact sheet. 
Download now for free (PDF)
Fact sheet preview

Fact sheet – avoiding reduced press fit

Anti-corrosion agents can reduce plain bearing press fit. So we tested a variety of such agents. This fact sheet will tell you which of them almost double firmness. 
Download now for free (PDF)
Fact sheet preview

Fact sheet – axial securing for cylindrical plain bearings

There are various methods for the axial securing of plain bearings. This fact sheet will tell you what they are and what they require.
Download now for free (PDF)
Fact sheet preview

Fact sheet – felt sealing concept

Find out why felt is suitable for sealing bearing points. This fact sheet also gives you all the important design tips for plain bearings with felt seal. 
Download now for free (PDF)
Fact sheet preview

Fact sheet - Assembly of igutex plain bearings

Here you can find out everything you need to know about the assembly of our igutex fibre composite plain bearings.
Download now for free (PDF)

Various lubrication procedures: advantages and requirements

Lubrication-free

Lubrication-free bearing points

igus advantages

  • Longer service life
  • No failure from insufficient lubrication
  • Lower shaft quality requirements
  • Price
  • No maintenance required
  • No lubrication system (lubrication holes, grooves, or lines; grease guns; or central lubrication) necessary
  • No grease released into the environment

Requirements

  • Corrosion-resistant shaft/housing required
  • Depending on operating conditions, a seal can be useful in protecting the system from massive amounts of dirt.

Initial lubrication

Initial bearing point lubrication The grease is for the housing and shaft. The bearing doesn't need it!

igus advantages

  • Longer service life
  • No failure from insufficient lubrication
  • Lower shaft quality requirements
  • Price
  • No maintenance required
  • Almost no grease released into the environment

Requirements

  • Cost and effort for one-time shaft and housing lubrication during installation
  • A seal ensures that, once introduced, the grease remains in the system throughout its operating life.

Regular lubrication

Periodic bearing point lubrication The grease is for the housing and shaft. The bearing doesn't need it!

igus advantages

  • Longer service life
  • No failure from insufficient lubrication
  • Lower shaft quality requirements
  • Price
  • Extended intervals can reduce maintenance effort

Requirements

  • Lubrication effort
  • Complete lubrication system (lubrication holes, grooves, and lines; grease guns; and central lubrication)
  • Regular maintenance schedule (staff, lubricant provision)

Our materials for lubrication-free heavy-duty applications


Materials for harsh environments

iglidur® materials are injection moulded or machined from extruded bar stock. Choose from more than 8,500 catalogue dimensions or have us produce your custom design. In addition to the iglidur® materials for harsh environments, there are also variants for high temperatures, very long service life, and other areas of application.
 
iglidur Q

iglidur Q

The peak of stability
Temperature [°C] +135
Surface pressure [MPa]  100
Coefficient of friction [μ]0.19
Wear [µm/km]1.9
Find out more about iglidur Q
iglidur Q2

iglidur Q2

The durable heavy-duty bearing
Temperature [°C] +130
Surface pressure [MPa]  120
Coefficient of friction [μ]0.17
Wear [µm/km]1.5
Find out more about iglidur Q2
iglidur Q3E

iglidur Q3E

Two-component heavy-duty bearing
Temperature [°C] +100
Surface pressure [MPa]  135
Coefficient of friction [μ]0.56
Wear [µm/km]2.1
Find out more about iglidur Q3E

Materials for heavy duty applications

igutex fibre composite plain bearings were developed and optimised specifically for extreme loads. Winding technology flexibility also allows the manufacture of large diameters.
igutex TX1 fibre composite bearings

igutex TX1

The robust all-rounder
Temperature [°C] +120
Surface pressure [MPa]  200
Coefficient of friction [μ]0.37
Wear [µm/km]7
More about igutex TX1
igutex TX2 fibre composite bearings

igutex TX2

The technical shafts specialist
Temperature [°C] +130
Surface pressure [MPa]  180
Coefficient of friction [μ]0.31
Wear [µm/km]7
More about igutex TX2
igutex TX3 fibre composite bearings

igutex TX3

The endurance runner for the highest loads
Temperature [°C] +130
Surface pressure [MPa]  180
Coefficient of friction [μ]0.28
Wear [µm/km]2
More about igutex TX3

References

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igus® GmbH points out that it does not sell any products of the companies Allen Bradley, B&R, Baumüller, Beckhoff, Lahr, Control Techniques, Danaher Motion, ELAU, FAGOR, FANUC, Festo, Heidenhain, Jetter, Lenze, LinMot, LTi DRiVES, Mitsubishi, NUM,Parker, Bosch Rexroth, SEW, Siemens, Stöber and all other drive manufacturers mention on this website. The products offered by igus® are those of igus® GmbH