On Sunday, December 11, 2016 at 7:00:10 PM UTC-5, Christopher Tidy wrote:
Am Freitag, 9. Dezember 2016 23:41:14 UTC+1 schrieb :

Every make you mentioned uses plain shell bearings. Very few engines are built with roller crankshaft bearings today, and those are, as far as I know, all small, high-performance 2-strokes. Even they may have switched; I haven't kept up.

Ed, do you know what metal is used for those plain shell bearings? I'd be interested to know.

Thanks,

Chris

Jim gave a link to a bearing manufacturer or something a few posts up the thread. It does a good job of telling what they're using today, and why.

There are two basic kinds: two-layer (steel shell, silicon-aluminum bearing face) and three-layer (high-performance, steel shell, several other metals used in layers.) I've also heard of silver being used as the top layer in racing engines -- extreme resistance to fatigue.

It's worth reading Jim's link.

--
Ed Huntress