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Are Bronze Bushings Self-Lubricating? A Complete Guide for B2B Buyers

作者MYWAY

Are Bronze Bushings Self-Lubricating? A Complete Guide for B2B Buyers

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When you look at the industrial equipment all around us in different machinery and things that we use every day, you’ll see a lot of bronze bushings in use. That’s because they are a wear-resistant, corrosion-resistant and can load bear.

One question that many people ask when buying is, are bronze bushings self-lubricating or not?

Standard bronze bushings are not self-lubricating. Therefore, you do need to apply an external lubrication such as grease or oil.

However, you can get self-lubricating bronze bushings. These have embedded solid lubricants, such as graphite, or PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), and do not require additional lubrication on the outside.

For more information about how we apply the one or the other, read our related article “What Is The Best Material For Bushings?”

What are Bronze Bushings and How Do They Work?

Bronze bushing

A bronze bushing is a round metal cylinder made from, you guessed it, a bronze alloy. It is used as a bearing surface between moving parts to reduce the amount of contact between moving parts. A bronze bushing has high load-bearing abilities, wear resistance, and excellent properties of low friction. Small bronze bushings are used inside a hole that the bolt treads through like sheet metal. You can find bronze bushings used in industrial machinery, vehicles, farm equipment, and such. Bronze bushings help prevent wear between two parts, thereby making an entire piece of machinery more efficient and last longer.

“Although bronze has a low coefficient of friction and is quite durable when used as a bushing for bearings, it is not self-lubricating, so needs to be lubed with grease or oil to last.”

Are Bronze Bushings Self-Lubricating?

In short, No. Standard bronze bushings are NOT self-lubricating.They do offer some reduction in friction and some wear resistance. Most commercial applications, however, must be externally lubricated. You have to pack them with grease or oil. Because if you don’t, they will become very hard to move. They’ll generate a lot of heat. They’ll wear out quickly; which then causes the bushing to fail and the piece of equipment to break, which then increases your Maintenance Cost. 
 
But you can get self-lubricating bronze bushings as well. These bushings contain some solid lubricants like graphite or (Teflon) Polytetraflueroethylene impregnated into them for certain low load, low speed requirements, which help eliminate the need for external lubrication.

What Are Self-Lubricating Bronze Bushings?

Another good lubricating product to consider is a self-lubricating bronze bushing. These bushings are made so they don’t require any extra lubrication. The way they’re described to me is that they contain some kind of an embedded solid lubricant like graphite or PTFE. This combination allows the bushing to always lubricate itself while it’s in operation. That makes them excellent for scenarios where they’re going at high speeds all the time, and they’re under a lot of wear and tear, but they don’t get a lot of external lube.

These self-lubricating bushings are particularly suitable for the following applications:
Agricultural equipment, where maintenance is challenging
Construction machines especially work in very dusty, dirty and cold or hot conditions.
Automotive transport equipment, where external lubrication is difficult to apply
Food processing machinery. Or, pharmaceutical machinery, where there can’t be any chance of contamination from outside lubricants.
Self-lubricating bushings provide good and consistent lubrication over a long time because they have progreased lubricant where the hole is, reducing wear on wear plates.

Benefits of Using Self-Lubricating Bronze Bushings

Gearbox bushing

The main benefits of using self-lubricating bronze bushings include:

Reduced maintenance: They’re a lot less maintenance. Since you don’t have to lube these every day, you’l l save a lot of money on maintenance costs and downtime.
Stable performance: Solid lubricants embedded in the solid material provides lubricity throughout the life of the product delivering reduced friction, extended life and other beneficial properties.
Suitable for harsh environments: These bushings work great, especially in dusty, polluted, hard-to-lube environments. Think heavy equipment, construction equipment, and farm equipment.
Extended equipment life: By reducing friction and wear, your bushings and related machinery last longer. You won’t have to replace these components as frequently, which saves you money.
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Which Types of Bronze Bushings Are More Self-Lubricating?

Gearbox Bushing
Like I said, not all bronze bushings self-lubricate, and it depends on the type of bronze that’s being used. These are some of the different kinds of bronze that are used for bushings.
Phosphor bronze – This is special because it has high-wear resistance and low friction properties. It’s also a porous material that helps to hold lubricant. Therefore, it’s a very good self-lubricating material for bushings.
Leaded Bronze – is a bronze that has lead in it. Lead bronze has excellent wear resistance and is a good self-lubricating material. Lead is a toxic material. Because of the toxicity of lead, you generally don’t see leaded bronze used in food and medical applications.
Aluminum bronze – This material gives you good strength while providing some self-lubricating ability. In applications where the self-lubricating ability isn’t quite enough, you may need secondary lubrication of some type.
Tin bronze – because it’s strong and it doesn’t corrode. Coincidentally, it’s a good material, but it does need external lubrication when there’s a very high load.

Conclusion: Should You Rely on Bronze Bushings for Self-Lubrication?

In summary, you can call bronze bushings somewhat self-lubricating, especially if they’re made from certain alloys like phosphor bronze or leaded bronze. When you consider the porosity of the metal and the natural lubrication properties of some of the alloy elements, you can say they’re self-lubricating to a degree. However, when working with heavy loads, high speeds, or in certain environmental conditions, you’ll need an external lubricant to provide the bushing the lubrication it needs to last and provide optimal results.
Are you considering using bronze bushings? Excellent, but keep in mind you must understand how much weight you are putting on the bushing over how fast to decide if you need to supply it with extra lubrication.

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What Is the Best Material for Bushings? A Buyer’s Guide

What Is the Best Material for Bushings? A Buyer’s Guide

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– For high load, high temperatures, and heavy duty, consider bronze and steel.
– For corrosion resistance and heat conduction, copper is great.
– For self-lubricating and low maintenance, consider composites like PTFE or PEEK, or Nylon.
– For shock absorption and durability, nothing beats polyurethane.

Do brass Bushings Need Lubrication? A Guide for Industrial Buyers

Do brass Bushings Need Lubrication? A Guide for Industrial Buyers

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You need to lubricate your brass bushings to keep them from sticking, prevent them from heating up, and keep them from wearing out. A good lubrication practice helps your brass bushings last a long time. Choose the right lubrication for your brass bushings, or it will cost you in maintenance and downtime for the machinery in which you use them.