On Tuesday, December 6, 2016 at 8:07:33 AM UTC-5, Christopher Tidy wrote:
Hi folks,

I need an example for an article. Can anyone think of a modern product which uses plain bearings in a demanding application? I'm not talking about the extremes (like dental drills and steam turbines), but more common applications such as supporting lathe spindles and engine crankshafts. It used to be common to have plain bearings in these machines, and some were incredibly durable, but I haven't seen any in a new product for a long time. Are there any examples, or have they been entirely displaced by standardised ball and roller bearings?

Thanks!

Chris

The center bearing on the Garrett Airesearch air cycle machines on a Boeing 767 is a plain bearing. Basically a backwards turbocharger that expands high pressure/volume engine bleed air to cool it for the ship's cabin. Very high speed operation. Uses the incoming air as a lubricant film in the bearing. There are Teflon ribbons between the bearing surfaces to prevent damage until full pressure and support takes place after the inlet valve is opened.

Garrett