Plain bearings
General information
In contrast to rolling bearings, plain bearings or sliding bearings allow sliding, not rolling, movement between the shaft and the bearing housing. In plain bearings, the friction between the shaft and the bearing housing is reduced by a lubricant (grease or oil). The thickness and quality of the lubricant layer is critical to bearing life and efficiency. Due to their simple structure and high load capacity, they offer many advantages. For the correct selection, the conditions of the application, the load, the speed and the type of lubricant must be taken into account.