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Keeping the Bearing Going
Any form of engineering requires an understanding of how machinery and structures work on a technical level. Ask any engineer about technical aspects of their preferred field of work, and they will be able to give you a very long and informative answer on how everything operates. Since we are not all civil engineers, a term like “Oilite bearings” may seem very unfamiliar and distant, so let us have a look at this specific term.
What is Oilite?
Oilite is a porous alloy made from bronze or iron. This alloy is usually impregnated with oil lubricant and used in bearings. It dates back all the way to 1930, when Chrysler originally developed it for bearings in water pumps and spring shackles. It was also used in fuel filters back then. The Oilite bearings became so famous that Chrysler sold 500 000 of them in 1930, and 2,5 million the following year.
In 1932, they introduced the Super Oilite bearings. These were iron-based bearings, where the original model used bronze alloy. With the introduction of Super Oilite, the sales went up to 7 million units sold that year, rising to a whopping 18 million in 1933. Needless to mention, this was Chrysler’s main source of profit during this period. Today, the Oilite trademark belongs to a company in Philadelphia, called Beemer Precision.
How Does Oilite Bearings Work?
Starting with a normal bearing, we know that oil or grease is needed to keep it from locking up or failing, as a bearing would take a certain amount of load and needs to be able to slide and rotate without any hindrance. Making a bimetal bearing using an Oilite compound results in a self-lubricating bearing that will keep going longer and faster without needing to lubricate it manually.
This makes for a bearing that can be used in hard-to-reach places, like bridges, to compensate for any movement that bridge might encounter due to temperature and load changes, and shrinkage, in some cases. A civil engineer will be able to explain how Oilite bearings changed the game for structural projects, as a self-lubricating bearing has endless applications and very few drawbacks.
Technoslide can provide you with any and every type of bearing you need for your next big building project. We offer different models and derivatives of Oilite bearings, making it easy for you to select the right one for the right application. Visit our website for more details today!