Norton Company

Norton Pampus Gmbh

Peter Woelki

Dominique Petit

Friedrich Harig

A method is provided for fabricating a self-lubricating bearing as a laminate of a metallic substrate and a series of raised structures formed integrally therewith and extending orthogonally therefrom. A fluoropolymer sliding or bearing layer is superposed with the substrate, with the raised structures embedded therein. The raised structures serve to hold the bearing layer in place to help prevent it from sliding along the surface of substrate during bearing operation. This anchorage to the substrate enables a relatively thick bearing layer to be utilized to relatively reduce tendency to creep. Alternatively, the structures provide a bearing fabricated according to the disclosed method having a relatively thin load bearing layer with a relatively constant friction coefficient over its life, with the structures acting as thermal and electrical bridges for relatively high heat and electrical conductivity between the substrate and a supported article such as a rotating shaft. The structures also may be in direct contact with the supported article to help prevent bedding-in. In this regard, the bearings are provided with a relatively low coefficient of friction, long bearing life, resistance to creep and mechanical stresses, and are electrically and thermally conductive.

Method of making self-lubricating bearing

A self-lubricating bearing is fabricated as a laminate of a metallic substrate and a series of raised structures formed integrally therewith and extending orthogonally therefrom. A fluoropolymer sliding or bearing layer is superposed with the substrate, with the raised structures embedded therein. The raised structures serve to hold the bearing layer in place to help prevent it from sliding along the surface of substrate during bearing operation. This anchorage to the substrate enables a relatively thick bearing layer to be utilized to relatively reduce tendency to creep. Alternatively, the structures provide a bearing having a relatively thin load bearing layer with a relatively constant friction coefficient over its life, with the structures acting as thermal and electrical bridges for relatively high heat and electrical conductivity between the substrate and a supported article such as a rotating shaft. The structures also may be in direct contact with the supported article to help prevent bedding-in. In this regard, the bearings are provided with a relatively low coefficient of friction, long bearing life, resistance to creep and mechanical stresses, and are electrically and thermally conductive.

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Mönchengladbach, Germany

Peter Woelki