摘要 |
<p>Thin-walled bearings (10) each including a layer (16) of an aluminium based, or copper based, bearing material bonded to a steel shell, has an overlay (20) of one or more of the elements lead, tin, indium, copper, nickel, zinc and antimony. A flash (24) less than two micrometers thick and of one or more of the elements iron, chromium, nickel, cobalt, gold, silver and copper, is provided in any convenient way on the initially unmodified exposed surface portion of the overlay. The flash (24) is caused to react with the, or at least one constituent, element of the overlay (20) to modify the surface portion (22) of the overlay to become hard and wear-resistant. The material of the flash (24) forms at least one intermetallic compound, and/or solid solution, with the material of the surface portion (22) of the overlay (20). The bearing may be heated to a temperature at which the flash (24) reacts with the overlay (20) to form the required intermetallic compound, and/or solid solution, at a desired rate.</p> |