Graphite Bronze

With IS0 9001 certification, innovative equipment and a team of highly experienced engineers and technicians with extensive professional training, our company ranks among the main Brazilian suppliers of graphite bronze materials and parts.

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Graphite bronze alloy

Graphite Bronze
Graphite Bronze
Graphite Bronze
Graphite Bronze

Graphite bronze is also known as sintered bronze or self-lubricating bronze. It is a porous bronze alloy, manufactured by the process called sintering or powder metallurgy.

Due to porosity, graphite bronze cast parts are impregnated with lubricating oil making them self-lubricated. For example: if the part is a bushing, as the rotation movement starts, an oil film appears by pressure on the surface of contact with the shaft, keeping the region lubricated. When the movement ceases, the oil returns to the interior of the bushing walls, through the phenomenon of capillarization. For this reason bushings manufactured in graphite bronze do not require relubrication when the mechanism to which it is installed starts operating again.

Graphite bronze properties

The properties of graphite bronze are directly associated with the technique used in its manufacture. Graphited bronze is produced through the sintering process. Sinter is a word derived from the German term cinder and means porous mineral.

Generally speaking, in sintering, portions of bronze powder are added and pressed into molds, along with lubricating oil and a binding agent. Then, the composition is exposed at high temperatures, below, however, of the melting point of bronze. Molds made of graphite are used in the process. Approximately, 19% of the volume of material used in the manufacturing of graphite bronze is lubricating oil components.

The most used graphite bronze is SAE 841, which has the following formulation:

  • C = up to 1.75%
  • Cu = 87.5% – 90.5%
  • Fe up to 1%
  • Sn 9.5% – 10.5%

Graphite bronze advantages

Among several advantages of graphite bronze, the most important is the self-lubrication. Parts manufactured with this material do not need external lubrication, as the lubricating oil is already incorporated into the pores of the material and does not require replacement, as it remains there.

Other advantages of graphite bronze:

  • Quiet operation due to smoother operation and self-damping
  • High durability
  • Extends the life of machine components
  • Uniform granulation and spherical porosity, which increases the resistance of the alloy
  • Superior resistance
  • Low coefficient of friction
  • Uniform oil coating
  • Wear resistance
  • Low production cost
  • High heat dissipation

Graphite bronze applications

There are several applications of graphite bronze. The alloy is mainly used in the manufacture of parts for which manual lubrication is undesirable or impossible to be done.

The companies that most use graphite bronze applications belong to the following industrial sectors: aerospace, automotive, medical equipment, metal mechanic, agriculture, metallurgical, naval andhousehold appliances.

Among the different types of parts produced in graphite bronze, we can mention:

  • Sprockets
  • Sliding bushings
  • Sleeves
  • Self-lubricating pump parts
  • Turbine blades
  • Household appliances
  • Medical equipment
  • Self-lubricating bearings
  • Bearings
  • Tools
  • Engines

Mercobronze graphite bronze

Graphite bronze is a raw material that we use in the manufacture of parts that meet the production demands of our customers. This alloy is part of the wide range of Mercobronze solutions available for your company. Contact our team and learn about!