IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF WOOD-METAL SLIDE BEARINGS FOR FORESTRY MACHINERY

The performance of slide bearings in forestry machines and equipment is largely determined by the load-carrying capacity and antifriction qualities that depend on the bearing capacity of the sleeve (insert) material, the design rigidity and the nature of the forces during operation. As a result, the bearing materials undergo cyclic changes in the state of the sleeve material, as well as the elements that provide reinforcing, heat-conducting and anti-wear functions. The paper shows the results of research on the stress-strain behavior of anisotropic composite materials in the structures of wood-metal slide bearings. A method for ensuring vibration stability is proposed. It is based on maintaining the damping properties of the support that change in the course of wearing. The functionality of the developed program, which is used to solve the contact and thermal issues in the design of slide bearings, is described. A wood-metal material for making bearing sleeves and inserts from laminated compositions was created and studied. The compositions include a vibration-absorbing and fine-fractional component in a vibration-weighted state and a layered structure heterogeneous in thickness of the sleeve, characterized by a variable elastic modulus, that provides damping properties. The proposed design of a slide bearing using this material is focused on its use mainly in the conditions of shock-cyclic loading, which is typical for operation of most forestry machines and equipment.