Student Startup winner offers technique for renovation of ball bearings

Dinar Murzin, a PhD student of system analysis, has been working on his project for a year.

The gas-thermal method of equipment recovery allows to spray metals (such as alloys of aluminum, zinc, copper, bronze, nickel, molybdenum, etc.) with a high degree of adhesion. The porous structure of the sprayed materials contributes to the retention of the oil film in micropores, which reduces equipment wear during cold start. This repair method doubles the life of the product compared to traditional methods. In ball bearings, babbitt, a softer internal metal, deteriorates quicker than the external layer, usually made from iron or cast iron.

“Due to the fact that the old case is used, and the new one is sprayed on, we save the customer’s money. Repair is similar to painting with an airbrush, only we ‘paint’ with metal alloys and a thick layer. The advantage of this technology is that micropores are formed in the babbitt layer as a result of spraying, which allows impregnation with oil and retention of the oil film in the event of an oil supply failure and after a long stop of the machine, as a result of which the dry friction mode is excluded,” says Murzin.

It is possible to restore bearings, pistons and liners of compressors, ore-grinding mills, and electric motor rotors. The effectivenes is 30% to 70% more than in traditional methods. The grant of 1 million rubles from the Student Startup foundation will be used for test production. There is a need for further funding.

The Machine Production Cluster of Tatarstan, an industrial association based in Murzin’s home city of Naberezhnye Chelny, has already shown interest in the technology.