Bronze to steel bushings – engineering evaluation by Sibo
In mining equipment, bronze bushings are widely used for their conformability and sliding properties. However, under high loads and shock cycles, bronze may show deformation and accelerated wear.
When this happens, replacing bronze with steel is not a simple material change – it requires technical verification.
Sibo specialises in evaluating the feasibility of proposing a steel alternative to bronze bushings.
What Sibo verifies
Before proposing a steel alternative, Sibo analyses:
Applied loads and peak contact pressure
Operating conditions and lubrication regime
Shaft hardness and surface treatment
Housing tolerances and alignment
Wear patterns of existing bronze bushings
This ensures that steel adoption does not generate galling, shaft damage or improper hardness pairing.
Engineering objective
The goal of conversion is to:
Increase service life
Improve resistance to impact and compressive stress
Lower downtime costs
If technically justified, Sibo defines the correct alloy steel grade, heat treatment and hardness range to suit the specific mining application.