CALEMAA

Castable Lead-free Material for Antifriction Applications

Supported by Innosuisse, this three-year project aims to develop a new lead-free bronze that retains the same anti-friction properties as the traditional bronzes produced by Kugler Bimetal.

In practice, several steps are required in this project:

• Candidate copper-based, lead-free alloys are proposed and simulated by computer to predict their performance (EPFL).

• These alloys are then manufactured in the laboratory and analyzed in detail (shrinkage cavities, cracks, microstructure, mechanical strength) (HEIG-VD).

• Specific tribological tests are carried out, under dry and lubricated conditions, to compare their performance with that of the currently used leaded bronze (HEPIA).

Finally, the most promising alloys will be produced on a large scale and tested under real production conditions at Kugler Bimetal, in order to validate their industrial use.