Why does the shaft material have such a great influence on the service life of the plain bearing?

In the case of plain bearings, the shaft moves permanently and is simultaneously in contact with the running surface of the bearing. This means that the nature of the shaft is as important for the service life of the system as that of the plain bearing. Whereas the properties of the plain bearing materials can adapt to those of the shaft very effectively, a positive effect can often be achieved if the shaft material is changed. For example,  B. hardened surfaces or surfaces with the right roughness depth (approximately 0.2 µm to 0.4 µm) improve the wear results significantly. In addition, wear should always take place in the plain bearing and not on the (usually much more expensive) shaft. A suitable choice of materials (hard shaft, soft plastic) can ensure this. The simple-to-use iglidur Expert system can be employed to conveniently calculate what advantages you can achieve by changing the plain bearing material and shaft material.