Emergency running property
Dry running capability means that a material, when lubrication briefly fails, does not immediately seize and gall, but can continue to run dry for a while. Aluminum bronzes have particularly good dry running capability and save bearings and sliding surfaces before major damage occurs.
What emergency running properties mean
In normal operation, the lubricating film keeps sliding surfaces from touching. If lubrication fails briefly, the surfaces touch dry – and that's when emergency running properties decide whether the material seizes immediately or holds out a while longer.
Why aluminum bronze runs well dry
Aluminum bronze forms a thin, strong oxide layer on the surface and barely cold-welds. Where steel seizes and sticks under dry friction, aluminum bronze keeps sliding for a while. That's why it's used in plain bearings, guides, and worm gears.
Using it in welding
The trick that experienced welders know: you can weld aluminum bronze as filler onto steel. The applied layer brings emergency running properties exactly where steel-on-steel seized before – a lasting fix for the critical area.