Copper-based sliding material, method of manufacturing the same, and sliding bearing

• US 20020026855A1
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Published: 03/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daido Metal Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Daido Metal Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawakami, Naohisa, Yamamoto, Koichi, Sakai, Kenji, Inaba, Takashi, Shibayama, Takayuki, Kurimoto, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 6,692,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 75/247
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/09 Mixtures of metallic powders
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/00 Supplementary information concerning processes or compositions relating to powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2999/00 Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 7/04 with one or more layers not made from powder, e.g. made from solid metal
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 1/0425 Copper-based alloys
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 32/00 Non-ferrous alloys containing at least 5% by weight but less than 50% by weight of oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides, silicides or other metal compounds, e.g. oxynitrides, sulfides, whether added as such or formed in situ
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2204/12 with tin as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2220/20 by sintering pulverised material, e.g. powder metallurgy in general B22F
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2220/60 by removing material, e.g. machining
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/12 Structural composition; Use of special materials or surface treatments, e.g. for rust-proofing
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/14 Special methods of manufacture; Running-in
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12063 Nonparticulate metal component

Abstract

A copper-based sliding material produced by sintering, comprising at least two phases of copper and/or copper alloys which phases have hardness levels different form each other, and hard particles with an average particle size of 0.1 to 10 μm which are dispersed in at least one phase with the exception of a softest phase in an amount of 0.1 to 10 vol.% of the whole copper-based sliding material, said sliding material satisfying (H2/H1)≧1.2 in which H1 is the Vickers hardness of the softest phase and in which H2 is the Vickers hardness of a phase hardest in hardness including said hard particles.

Claims

1. A copper-based sliding material produced by sintering , comprising at least two phases of copper and/or copper alloys which phases have hardness levels different form each other, and hard particles with an average particle size of 0.1 to 10 μ

m which are dispersed in at least one phase with the exception of a phase softest in hardness in an amount of 0.1 to 10 vol.% of the whole copper-based sliding material, said sliding material satisfying (H2/H1)≧

1.2 in which H1 is the Vickers hardness of the phase softest in hardness and in which H2 is the Vickers hardness of a phase hardest in hardness including said hard particles.

2. A copper-based sliding material according to claim 1, wherein said hard particles are ones of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of borides of metal, silicides of metal, oxides of metal, nitrides of metal, carbides of metal and intermetallic compounds.

3. A copper-based sliding material according to claim 1, wherein said copper alloy phase consists essentially, by weight, of:

not more than 15% Sn;

at least one kind not more than 40% in total selected from the group consisting of Ni, P, Zn, Al, Co, Mn, Ag and Fe; and

the balance of Cu.

4. A copper-based sliding material according to claim 2, wherein said copper alloy phase consists essentially, by weight, of:

not more than 15% Sn;

at least one kind not more than 40% in total selected from the group consisting of Ni, P, Zn, Al, Co, Mn, Ag and Fe; and

the balance of Cu.

5. A method of manufacturing a copper-based sliding material of any one of claim 1 to 4, comprising the steps of mixing at least two kinds of powder selected from the combinations consisting of:

at least two kinds of copper alloy powder; and

a pure copper powder and at least one kind of copper alloy powder in at least one kind of which powders hard particles are dispersed with the exception of a powder softest in hardness, so that a mixture is obtained, and then sintering the mixture.

6. A method of manufacturing a copper-based sliding material according to claim 5, further comprising, after the step of final sintering, the step of performing a heat treatment at a temperature of 200 to 500°

C. for 1 to 20 hours.

7. A sliding bearing comprising a back metal, and a copper-based sliding material according to claim 1 which is bonded to said back metal.

8. A sliding bearing comprising a back metal, and a copper-based sliding material according to claim 2 which is bonded to said back metal.

9. A sliding bearing comprising a back metal, and a copper-based sliding material according to claim 3 which is bonded to said back metal.

10. A sliding bearing comprising a back metal, and a copper-based sliding material according to claim 4 which is bonded to said back metal.

11. A sliding bearing according to claim 7, further comprising an overlay layer made of a material selected from the group consisting of a metal and a resin which overlay layer is formed on said copper-based sliding material.

12. A sliding bearing according to claim 8, further comprising an overlay layer made of a material selected from the group consisting of a metal and a resin which overlay layer is formed on said copper-based sliding material.

13. A sliding bearing according to claim 9, further comprising an overlay layer made of a material selected from the group consisting of a metal and a resin which overlay layer is formed on said copper-based sliding material.

14. A sliding bearing according to claim 10, further comprising an overlay layer made of a material selected from the group consisting of a metal and a resin which overlay layer is formed on said copper-based sliding material.