Alloying the Melt of Sliding Bearings Based on Babbitt

Abstract. A device design is proposed that makes it possible to obtain composite castings of sliding bearings based on babbitt by mixing alloying additives from antifriction powders of solid lubricants (graphite, molybdenum disulfide, etc.) into the melt, having a density significantly lower than the density of babbitt itself.  The principle of mixing is based on the use of  numerous turbulent flows resulting from the rotation of a gating rod with a wire pile in the melt material, the packing density coefficient of which is not less than 0.1. Due to the suction effect of these flows, non-metallic particles of solid lubricant powder do not float to the surface of the melt and, after crystallization, remain in the body of the casting. The supply of alloying powder of solid lubricant is carried out simultaneously with the supply of  the babbitt melt through the central and distribution gating channels made in a rotating rod. Under the action of centrifugal forces, powder particles and melt material flow through distribution channels to the walls of the mold (mold), passing through the rotation zone of the metal pile. In this case, intensive mixing of the powder particles with the melt material occurs due to the suction effect of turbulent flows arising behind the moving pile. In addition, as a result of the rotation of the wire pile, dendritic constituents are crushed in babbitt castings.  Metallographic studies of the castings obtained on the developed device have shown that the structure of the casting obtained by traditional technology contains large quantities of solid crystals of intermetallic compounds SnSb and Cu₃Sn, while in the structure of the casting obtained using the proposed device, along with the aforementioned intermetallic compounds, particles of solid lubricant C + MoS₂ powder embedded in the crystallized melt are observed.

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