First European Tribology Congress Eurotrib '73 is the first Tribology Congress to be sponsored by leading tribologists in all the major European countries.

The Congress is organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers with co-sponsorship of the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Institution of Metallurgists and the Institute of Petroleum. Leading tribological societies on the Continent are also acting as co-sponsors.

The Congress will be held in London at the head- quarters of the Institution of Electrical Engineers from 25 to 27 September 1973 and will provide an opportunity for tribologists and others from Europe and the rest of the world to meet for discussions at a major international conference.

To highlight the influence of tribology on reliability, the theme of the first European Tribology Congress has been chosen as 'Tribology and reliability'i

A worldwide audience of leading tribologists will be presented with some 50 papers from Czechoslovakia, France, the German Federal Republic, Italy, the Nether- lands, Norway, Poland, Rumania, Sweden, Switzerland, the USSR and Yugoslavia.

Presentation will be in three languages simultaneously - English, French and German. The subject matter will embrace the following aspects of the theme: education and training, chemistry, physics, metallurgy and mechani- cal engineering.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 1 Birdcage Walk, London SWlH 9JJ

Air bearing grinding arbor An air bearing cutter grinder arbor (Fig 8) has been jointly developed by Aerostatic Ltd and Ward Grinders.

The unit is adaptable to most makes of cutter grinding machines and carl also be mounted to a universal or surface grinder for cutter grinding. The only requirement is a

2 supply of compressed air at 8 0 - 1 2 0 lbf/in (0 .55-0 .82 MN/m2).

By using air bearings, with their extreme accuracy, the manufacturers claim major advantages over conventional hand operated arbor§ in producing round and parallel cutters. Metal to metal contact between the arbor and bearings is eliminated, resulting in low drag and a smooth action. Damping characteristics and concentricity of the arbor/collet assembly are said to be good.

Aerostatic Ltd, 40 Nuffield Industrial Estate, Poole, Dorset, England

Production facility for large bearings A production facility has been created by RHP at their Stonehouse, Gloucestershire factory to manufacture large rolling bearings, i.e. ball and roller bearings between 16 in (406 mm) and 42 in (1.07 m) outside diameter. Races are produced to ISO tolerances, typical tolerances for 18 in (0.46 m) and 19 in (0.485 m) rings

+0.0002 in ( +0.005 mm) being_0.0008 in ( -0 .02 mm) on outside diameters of

outer rings and bores of inner rings. The machine tools and other facilities have been

arranged to permit progressive flow-line manufacture of the bearings from receipt of the raw materials to assembly, final inspection and packing.

Bearing rings are made from low-carbon case-hardened steel, or high-carbon chrome through-hardening steel. Typical uses of such bearings are on cranes, industrial turbines, tracking radar aerials and similar heavy plant.

Bearing races start as hammer-forced rings in the fully annealed condition. They are rough turned, stress relieved, allowed to cool in air and finish turned. The low-carbon steel rings are then carburised, hardened and tempered. This is one of the more difficult production processes because of the thinness of bearing ring sections relative to their diameters. Mandrels are used to retain the shape of the rings when they are being quenched.

To maintain the internal bearing clearance within the specified tolerance, the outer bearing ring is made first to its nominal size, and the balls or rollers are produced to standard size. Then the inner ring is paired with its outer ring and the raceway of the inner ring is ground to a diameter to give the required clearance when the bearing is assembled.

Cages are made from a leaded gunmetal brass ring either sandcast or centrifugally spun. Most of the cages for large ball bearings are machined in one piece. For roller bearings the cages are usually of the cap and body type, the two parts being secured together by steel rivets closed on an automatic electrically-operated hot- rivetting machine that forms both heads of the rivet simultaneously.

RHP General Bearings Division, Ransome Hoffmann Pollard Ltd, PO Box No 7, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1PU, England

Bearing film A film entitled 'Ball bearings - an introduction to rolling bearing technology' has been produced by SKF (UK) Limited.

The film is particularly for technical colleges, universi- ties and engineering apprentice training departments, and for background knowledge for draughtsmen and general engineers.

It deals with the different types of ball and roller bearings and their construction and gives guidance on the load carrying characteristics of different types of bearings. The dynamic forces within a bearing are discussed, and examination is made of the effects of these forces on the rolling elements and rings.

Bearing life calculations are explained diagrammatically and with reference to the tables in the SKF catalogue. Information on shaft and housing fits, and guidance on correct mounting procedures, are also included.

Running time is 16 minutes. The film is 16 ram, colour, with optical sound.

SKF (UK) Ltd, Public Relations Department, Leagrave Road, Luton LU3 IJF, England

T R I B O L O G Y June 1973 81