Dr. Dmitri Kopeliovich

The design of internal combustion engines has a tendency of decreasing the engine dimensions. This tendency leads to more compact bearings and consequently to higher specific alternating loads applied to them.

Copper based Engine bearing materials provide superior fatigue strength (load capacity).

Copper based bearing alloys commonly contain tin (up to 10%) as a strengthening component and a soft component (lead or bismuth) distributed in a copper-tin matrix as a separate phase in form of small particles.
Soft component imparts to the material anti-friction properties (compatibility, conformability, embedability).
Maximum content of soft phase is about 25%.
Copper based bearing alloys are manufactured by either casting or sintering technology.



Despite the presence of soft components in most copper based bearing alloys their anti-friction properties are poor therefore copper (bronze) bearings are rarely used in engines in monometal (solid) or bi-metal (steel backed) forms.
Typical copper bearings are steel backed and overplated with a thin sliding layer (overlay) of a soft material (tri-metal structure). The overlay improves the anti-friction properties of the copper alloy.
Modern copper based bearing alloys do not contain lead because of its harmful effect on the environment. Lead in lead free alloys may be substituted by harmless bismuth having excellent anti-friction properties comparable with lead.

Load carrying capacity of copper based bearings is determined by the fatigue strength of the overlays:

• Lead based overlays: 7250-10150 psi (50-70 MPa)
• Tin based overlays: 11600-13000 psi (80-90 MPa)
• Sputter overlays: 14500-17400 psi (100-120 MPa)

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• Bearings in internal combustion engines
• Engine parameters determining bearing loading
• Lubrication regimes
• Hydrodynamic journal bearing
• Hydrodynamic lubrication theory
• Geometrical parameters of engine bearings
• Mechanisms of wear
• Requirements to engine bearing materials
• Engine bearing fatigue test
• Engine bearing materials
• Manufacturing bi-metal strips for copper bearings
• Aluminum based bearing materials
• Continuous casting of aluminum based bearing alloys
• Manufacturing bi-metal strips for aluminum bearings
• Lead based engine bearing overlays
• Tin based engine bearing overlays
• Sputter bearing overlays
• Polymer based engine bearing overlays
• Engine bearing failure
• Selection of engine bearing materials
• Effect of low viscosity oils on engine bearings
• pMax Black™ - Strengthened Tri-metal Bearing Materials for High Performance Bearings
• U-Groove™ Modified Design of Oil Groove for High Performance Bearings
• ElliptiX™ Oil Hole of New Design for High Performance Bearings
• EccentriX™ Optimal Eccentricity for High Performance Bearings
• RadiaLock™ - Design of Crush Height for Reliable Press Fit of High Performance Bearings
• Modern Trends In Materials For High Performance Engine Bearings
• Optimization of Clearance Design for High Performance Engine Bearings
• Camshaft Bearings
• Ecological Aspects Of Engine Bearings
• Consistency in Bearing Wall Thickness
• Soft Strength of Racing Bearings
• Effect of oil viscosity on hydrodynamic friction of engine bearings
• Bearing Materials For Race Engines
• Oil Clearance and Engine Bearings
• Polymer Coated Bearings
• Development of Performance Bearings for Race Engines of Modern Design
• Failures of Engine Bearings and their Prevention
• Engine Bearing Housing and How it Affects Engine Bearings
• Polymer Coatings for Race Engine Bearings
• Heavy Duty Engine Bearings - Materials, Geometry, Failures
• Hydrodynamic Bearing – Calculations and Design
• Geometry of Engine Bearings
• Crush Height of Engine Bearings
• Materials for Engine Bearings
• Cast tin bronzes and leaded tin bronzes

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