Daido Metal Company Ltd.

Takuo Imai

Kentaro Tujimoto

Ryo Sato

Kouji Zusi

Provided is a copper-based sliding material including a steel back-metal layer and a Cu alloy layer. The Cu alloy layer contains, by mass %, 10 to 30% of Bi, 0.5 to 5% of an inorganic compound, and the balance being Cu and inevitable impurities. The Cu alloy layer may further contain 0.5 to 5% of Sn and/or at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Fe, P and Ag in a total amount of 0.1 to 10%. The inorganic compound has an average particle size of 1 to 5 &#x3bc;m and a specific gravity of 70 to 130% relative to the specific gravity of Bi. Bi phase is formed in the Cu alloy layer in an average particle size of 2 to 15 &#x3bc;m, and the Bi phase is dispersed in the Cu alloy layer and isotropic.

Copper-based sliding material

In a copper-based sliding material in which a Cu alloy layer contains 5% to 30% by mass of Bi, and the balance consisting of Cu and an unavoidable impurity, Bi is dispersed as particles of a Bi phase in the Cu alloy layer, and the mass ratio of the particles having a particle size of 2 to 50 &#x3bc;m and a circularity of 0.1 to 0.7 is 30% or more in the entire Bi phase in the Cu alloy layer, so that the particles of the Bi phase are uniformly dispersed in the Cu alloy layer. Therefore, the particles of the Bi phase in the Cu alloy layer are sequentially exposed to a sliding surface as wear of the sliding material progresses while excessive flow-out of molten Bi is prevented, so that improved seizure resistance is achieved.

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Inuyama, Japan

Takuo Imai