Extra-robust plain bearings in track vehicle

In search of the right material
"Due to the positive experiences with the igus® bearings in other projects, I contacted Reiner Nusser from igus®in May 2020," recalls Marius Holder. "We then set up a trial test with three different igus® materials as well as a metallic bearing and the previous machined competitor bearing and carried out a long-term test under real conditions on the Kässbohrer shaft," explains Reiner Nusser, technical sales consultant at igus® SE & Co. KG.

"It turned out that igutex® TX1 is the ideal material for use in the PowerBully." The tests were carried out in the in-house 3,800 square metre igus® laboratory in Cologne on the standard heavy-duty swivel test benches. To determine the wear rate, the wall thickness of the bearing was measured before and after the test using a micrometer in the direction of force. The test shows that TX1 has a service life eight times longer than the previous plain bearing. In figures: The turned plastic bearing has the highest wear rate in dry condition with approx. 832 µm/km, the lowest iglidur® Q2 with approx. 73.5 µm/km. In the lubricated state, the metallic bearing shows the highest wear rate (approx. 199 µm/km), igutex® TX1 the lowest (approx. 70 µm/km).