Looking for Large Bore, Plain Bearing Manufucturer 1

[dwedel]

We have several integral Ingersoll-Rand KVG gas compressors with crank shaft bearings of the following sizes:
Main Bearing - 11" ID x 6-1/4" W
Power Con-rod Bearing - 10" ID x 4-7/8" W
Compressor Con-rod Bearing - 10" ID x 8-1/2" W

What bearing manufacturers make bearings for these engines in North America?
Here are the ones I found, can anyone add to the list?

Odessa Bearings
Miba Bearings - McConnelsville Plant (used to be F-M)
Washington Ironworks
United Bearings
Terrecorp - (Currently not making flanged bearings)

I'm not sure if United makes the bearings or simply markets someone else's product.

Thanks,

dwedel
Hotrod Big Engines!

 

[plasgears]

Keystone in Marysville, PA is a leader in PM plain bearings. If they can't help you at this time, there are other offshoot players in the same area. Keystone is now heavy into PM parts for automotive.

 

[unclesyd]

If you are looking for parts try:

http://www.ceconet.com/

Larger quantity

http://www.kruegerbearings.com/index.htm

OEM type manufacturer.

http://www.jensenmachine.com/default.htm

 

[dwedel]

Plasgears, from what you said, I would think that the bearings I want are too large and the quantities that I want too small for Keystone. Perhaps I am mistaken, have you had experience buying a bearing w/ 10" ID in quantities of 20 per year from Keystone?

Uncle Syd, thanks. CECO is a fairly good supplier, I'm not sure who they get the bearings from though. They quoted Aluminum backed micro-babbitt bearings this last quote. Kruger and Jensen look like they manufacture thick babbit steel, bronze, and cast iron bearings. Have you had any experience buying bearings from them?

Perhaps I should be more specific, I am looking for micro babbitted bronze, or aluminum bearings or micro babbitted tri-metal steel backed bearings.

Thanks for your help,

dwedel
Hotrod Big Engines!

 

[unclesyd]

We have used bearings from both but I can't recall whether we got them direct or through a third party.

We had 5 IR (?5CVE?) steam driven hyper compressors that used very large bearings. We didn't have the best relations with IR for a period of time which moved us to look for an alternate source and I'm reasonably sure that both companies were in the equation. We use CECO for parts for 6 Clark NG sir compressors.

There is one other company we have bought large bearings ,8", from and I'm trying to remember the name, find my lit., or someone who does.

 

[dwedel]

Yes, we seemed to have bad relations with Dresser-Rand for awhile also, but I have been communicating with them now for my overhaul projects, and they have been very cordial and almost customer service oriented. This change is very refreshing from the experiences people in my department have shared with me. However you still pay a premium to purchase parts from them.

I was surprised that the Cooper Services pricing came out so high. Dresser beat them on most everything. CECO picked up some of the order, but the new Hoerbiger branch in Casper got the majority of the order (we have been dealing with them since before they were Hoerbiger). Miba was very competitive with the steel tri-metal bearings and even agreed to make shimless bearings for us.


dwedel
Hotrod Big Engines!

 

[plasgears]

Dwedel,

Keystone is into smaller PM bearings of various composition. My experience is in electric motor size bearings, plain, self-aligning, etc.

 

[diamondjim]

You might take a look at this:

http://www.pmebabbittbearings.com/

 

[dwedel]

It looks like they do a very good job. Have you had experience working with them?

dwedel
Hotrod Big Engines!
For site policies and guidelines
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[diamondjim]

No, it just seems that if they repair
bearings, they must have the capability
of producing small quantities.

 

[dwedel]

In some of my research, there are many types of plain or hydrodynamic bearings made which make their way into the engine market.

Thick Babbitt bearings, of which there are a couple of subgroups, consist of a metal backing material on which a layer of Babbitt is cast onto. The Babbitt can be thick, but the thin limits are approx ~.005” depending on who you read and what they are talking about. The Babbitt, usually a lead alloy, would allow conformability between the shaft and the bearing surface, and would allow particles to embed in the lead, protecting the shaft from poor oil filtration. The low strength of the Babbitt alloy which leads to poor fatigue resistance are some of the weaknesses of these bearings. The shells of these bearings can be very thick, limiting their usefulness in connecting rods. These are a step up from the old engines where the Babbitt would be cast directly into the block of the engine. The metal backing shells could be removed and new bearings installed with out all the clean up and machining needed to cast Babbitt into the block.

Thin Babbitt bearings start to take advantage of the relative strength of the thinner layers of Babbitt. These bearings tend to have thinner shells and thus were much nicer to use in connecting rods and other weight or size sensitive applications. Since the Babbitt is now thinner, more precise machine work is needed, as there is less conformability. The oil must be filtered better as there is less embedding ability. The upside is the increased strength of the bearing and improved fatigue resistance. As the Babbitt is thinner there is increased risk of wearing through the Babbitt so more attention is given to the different types of alloys used as the backing material. The material needs to be both strong for support to the Babbitt, and soft to protect the shaft if it should wear through the Babbitt. Bronze, lead and tin alloys of Bronze, lead and tin alloys of Aluminum are commonly useds. Steel is also used, and is preferable because of its strength and thermal growth characteristics. Sometimes a thin Bronze layer is rolled onto steel strip that is then formed into bearings. This bearing is then formed and Babbitt electroplated or cast onto the surface. As the backing material of these bearings tends to be formed, the appeal of bronze and aluminum is apparent. The engine block or Con-rod, must take more of the load than the previous bearings, however the bearing is still instrumental in distributing the loads it supports. There are several subgroups of this bearing, depending on the thickness and type of Babbitt alloy used, the backing material and the number of layers

Micro Babbitt bearings have some Babbitt Alloy electroplated onto the surface of the bearing material. These have the thinnest shells and rely on the strength of the block or con-rod for support. The shell is the wear material also and is formulated of alloys that have the desired anti-wear properties. The Babbitt coating is measured in tens of thousandths. The oil must be clean and the bearing support blocks and shaft perfectly true. These tend to be the strongest bearings.

I am looking for Mfg. of the thin Babbitt bearings and any references or recommendations you may have from your dealings with them. Thanks for all the replies. Also please comment if you question the accuracy of these descriptions as I am planning on using the info in a paper at work.


dwedel
Hotrod Big Engines!
For site policies and guidelines
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