Seizure Failure of Engine Crankshaft Bearings

The application of reciprocating engine crankshaft bearings is of particular importance and interest among the plain bearing, not only because the sheer volume of intemal combustion engines now produced, but because the severe operating conditions they are subjected to. Demands for better performances of crankshaft bearings have provide an important impetus in the development of bearings and bearing materials. As engine design progresses toward higher outpt and higher efficiency, crankshaft bearings must perform under more seveve operating conditions. Higher load, temperature, and speed as well as lower viscosity oil are applied to the bearing sysem, resulting in a smaller minimum oil film thickness. This means more solid-solid contact between the shaft and bearing, and the bearing is exposed to more danger of seizure. Some engines may experience bearing seizure problems. However, understanding about the seizure behavior and mechanism is far from being enough. Seizure resistance of a bearing-shaft system will be affected by the properties of the shaft and bearing, especially their materials and surface texture. Commonly used engine bearing materials include Al-Pb-Si, Al-Sn-Si, Al-Sn, and Cu-Pb with Pb-Sn-Cu overlay. These materials have very different properties. They showed different behaviors dering seizure tests and seizure may occur with different mechanism for different bearing material. Shaft materials also affect the seizure resistance of the system. Surface texture of the bearing and shaft have apparent effects on the lubrication and solid-solid contact pattern, and therefore will affect the seizure behavior of the system. Bearings and shafts which are made of different materials and have different surface textures have been tested and analyzed. Their effects on seizure resistance are discussed and possible seizure mechanisms for different beatings are presented in this paper.