Abstract
In current process techniques to manufacture sliding bearings, bronze components are soldered to the respective parts, which is cost and energy intensive. Apart from that, so far most bearing materials still contain lead, which in new applications is omitted by EU law to avoid associated health risks. The present study aims to offer solutions for both by using cold gas spraying as additive manufacturing technique for processing bearings directly onto steel parts and by applying that to new lead-free bronze alloys. A lead-free bronze alloy was processed as powders by gas atomization and classified to optimum sizes for cold spraying. During cold spraying, the process gas pressures and temperatures as well as the substrate temperature were varied with the aim to study influences by impact conditions and effective surface temperature on particle deformation and bonding. Respective coatings show low porosity, high hardness and high electrical conductivities. With properties similar to that of bulk cast material respectively manufactured parts should meet the requirements for new bearing applications.
