In Marine Main Bearing

What is Main Bearing

Bearings, which directly supports and are in contact with the crankshaft of the engine are
.known as main bearings

The main bearing of a marine engine supports the long running crankshaft throughout the
engine length. This makes it imperative to check the condition of the bearing at regular
.interval of time

Forces on Bearings
A ship engine comprises of heavy rotational parts which exert different forces on various
parts of the engine crankshaft. One of the significant load-bearing parts of the crankshaft
.system is the main bearings

:The bearings in a marine engine are subjected to multiple forces which include

.Gas pressure generated inside the liner –

Dynamic Inertial forces due to different reciprocating and rotating motion of the engine –
.parts

.Centrifugal forces due to different reciprocating and rotating motion of the engine parts –

.Friction between the crankshaft and bearing due to engine vibration –

The main bearing is thus designed to tackle various forces along with supporting the
crankshaft rotating at high speed. Hence, the material used in making the bearing is
essential so that it can support the crankshaft journal and also adjust to minor surface
.irregularities

The engine bearing cannot do the work alone. They need a compatible lubricating oil to
bear the load and allow the rotation of crankshaft journal smoothly. The lubricating oil
enables the bearing to withstand abrasive particles which create friction between journal
.and bearing

Properties of main bearing materials

For selecting the main bearing for a marine engine, it must have the following
:features
It should be anti-corrosive in nature to avoid corrosion of bearing material 

It should be frictional resistant so that there is minimum energy loss between the 
bearing and the journal

It should have an excellent load-bearing capacity 

It should have good running in and grinding-in ability 

The bearing must support the oil film which allows smooth rotation of the journal 

The bearing material should be such that it does not react with the lubricating oil 

The bearing material should have an excellent compressive and tensile strength 

It must have a thermal resistant property to avoid any damage if it’s running hot 
Common defects in bearings
Corrosion: If the oil in which the bearing is placed is acidic, it may lead to corrosion. The
surface of the bearing will become discoloured and rough due to corrosion

Abrasion: If the oil is not filtered and treated correctly and contains minute particles,
which are common in engines burning heavy fuel oil, it may cause fine scratches on the
bearing surface

Erosion: When the oil supply pressure is not appropriate, or there is a rapid and unusual
journal movement, it will lead the stripping of the overlay layer of the bearing. These
.phenomena are more common in medium-speed engines

Fatigue: When the engine load over the bearing is too high, it may lead to the removal of
..the bearing lining

Wiping: It is the process when the overlay layer removes due to high temperature. When
the bearing is new, wiping is required to remove the initial layer, which helps in re-
alignment of the bearing to the journal. However, too much metal wiping can lead to
increase in clearances affecting the performance of the bearing

Crankshaft misalignment: Crankshaft of a marine engine is a massive component when

fully put together in the engine. Initially, the complete crankshaft is aligned in a straight
line ,before setting it on the top of main bearings. But with time due to various factors, the
straight line may deviate and misalign which can lead to damage to the main bearings

Hence, the increase in the clearance between the bearing and the journal pin can
:be due to the above-listed factor as well as the following
.If the bearing is operated above the operating temperature for a longer period -

.If there is significant and prolong variation in the engine speed -

.If the lubrication oil film thickness is reduced due to change in the oil flow -

If there is a change in the viscosity of the lubricant –

.If the lubrication oil temperature is high-

.If the lube oil used has a different load-bearing capacity than the recommended -

.There is a change in the engine ambient temperature-

Types of the main bearing
In the maritime industry, there are three famous types of Main bearings used for both
propulsion engines which are normally 2 stroke engines and power generation engines
:which are 4 stroke engines, they are as follows

Lead Bronze Bearing: These bearings consist of the following layers .1

Flash layer: It is the topmost layer with a thickness of 0.035mm made up of tin 
.and lead. It is used to protect the bearing from corrosion and dust

Nickle Barrier: It is the second layer made up of nickel with a thickness of 

0.02mm. Its main function is to prevent corrosion and avoid diffusion of tin into
.bearing metal

Lead Bronze: The third layer composed of lead bronze which has an excellent anti 
seizing property and is the principle component which acts as a bearing out of all
.layers

Steel back: Steel back is the last and backing part of the bearing used for shape 
.and support over which all the layers are bonded together

Bi-metal Bearing: This bearing consists of the following layers .2

Aluminium Tin: The first layer of bi-metal consists of Al and Sn with a thickness of 
.0.5 to 1.3mm and this is the main element of this type of bearing

Bonding Layer: The bonding layer consists of aluminium and it is 0.1mm thick. 
The main function of the bonding layer is to obtain a good bond between the shell
.and the top layer
.Steel Back: The backing part used for shape and support 

This type of bearings are used in 4 stroke engine main bearings

Tri-Metal Bearing: These bearings are called tri-metal bearing because they consist of .3
three main layers (excluding

Flash Layer: It is the top most layer with a thickness of 1 micron made up of tin 
and lead and used to protect the bearing from corrosion and dust when not in use.
.This layer flashes off when bearing is in Running in the period

Overlay: The second layer made up of white metal (Tin Antimony Copper) which is 
.the main component in this type of bearing. Its thickness is 20 microns

Interlay: It is the third layer used as an anti-corrosive layer for overlay. It is of 5 

.microns thickness

Lining: It is the lining layer between interlay and steel back with a thickness of 1 
.mm made up of lead and bronze

.Steel Back: The backing part used for shape and support 
 Functions of bearings in internal combustion engines

Bearing is a device supporting a mechanical element and providing its movement

.relatively to another element with minimum power loss

The rotating components of internal combustion engines are equipped with sleeve type
.sliding bearings

Rolling bearings, in which a load is transmitted by rolls (balls) to a relatively small area of
the ring surface, can not withstand under the loading conditions of internal combustion
.engines
Only sliding bearings providing a distribution of the applied load over a relatively wide
.area may work in internal combustion engines

:The sliding bearings used in internal combustion engines

Main crankshaft bearings: support crankshaft providing its rotation under inertia 
forces generated by the parts of the shaft and oscillating forces transmitted by the
connecting rods. Main bearings are mounted in the crankcase. A main bearing
consists of two parts: upper and lower. The upper part of a main bearing
commonly has an oil groove on the inner surface. A main bearing has a hole for
passing oil to the feed holes in the crankshaft. Some of main bearings may have
thrust bearing elements supporting axial loads and preventing movements along
.the crankshaft axis. Main bearings of such type are called flange main bearings

Connecting rod bearings provide rotating motion of the crank pin within the 
connecting rod, which transmits cycling loads applied to the piston. Connecting
rod bearings are mounted in the Big end of the connecting rod. A bearing consists
.of two parts (commonly interchangeable)

Small end bushes provide relative motion of the piston relatively to the connecting 
rod joined to the piston by the piston pin (gudgeon pin). End bushes are mounted
in the Small end of the connecting rod. Small end bushes are cycling loaded by the
.piston pushed by the alternating pressure of the combustion gases

.Camshaft Bearings support camshaft and provide its rotation 

Lubrication of the bearings in internal combustion engine

:Purposes of lubrication of engine bearings are as follows

;significant decrease of the coefficient of friction 

;extraction of the heat generated by the friction 

.removal of foreign particles from the rubbing surfaces 

?Why Clearance is Measured
The clearance measurement of the main bearing determines the amount of wear down
.the bearing has been subjected to

The clearance of the bearings will depend on the size of the engine but for a 900mm bore
engine the clearance is between 0.40 and 0.70 mm with a maximum allowable of 0.9mm.
Similarly for a 500mm bore engine the allowable clearance is provided as between 0.4mm
and 0.55mm

All the modern bearings are usually of the thin wall type with non adjustable clearance. If
the bearing clearance has reached it’s maximum limit or the bearing got damaged, it
.cannot be reconditioned and needs to be changed

Reason for Bearing Clearance

The increase in bearing clearance indicates the worn out of bearing material, which may
:be due to following reasons

Journal Defect: A journal is a polished part of the crankshaft accommodating the

bearings, helping the crankshaft setup to rotate. If the journal pin is defective, the bearing
:clearance will increase at a faster rate. Reason for journal pin damage

Overheating: Bearing materials are made from the material which have better
embeadiility and shock absorbing property. In case of any defects, bearing material
will worn out saving the shaft journal. If the engine is run long even after the bearing
material is wiped out, the shaft will get overheated leading to damage to the journal
.developing cracks and increase in the hardness of the journal

Hairline Cracks: The journal pin is under stress when the crankshaft is in operation. If
the stresses on the journal is localized and increased, a crack may form in such high
stress area specially near fillet radii and oil grooves. To get rid of this, expert
technician can do pin grinding. This will change the size of the bearing to be used for
.the grinded pin and also de-rate the engine

.Metal Contact: Similar problem to the abrasive damage

If there is metal to metal contact due to wiping of the bearing material, or dirty lube oil
containing small metal particles- squeezing, scoring, cracking and pitting will occur on the
journal pin

Bearing Defect: If the journal of the crankshaft is fine but the defect is in the bearing
:itself, it may be due to following reasons

High oil temperature: Not maintaining the lube oil temperature supplied to the
.bearing will decrease the oil thickness and lead to metal contact

Oil viscosity: Correct viscosity oil should be used with high viscosity index else bearing
.material will not be able to float on the oil film and contact the journal metal
Oil pressure: Maintaining the continuous oil supply and correct oil pressure will
ensure oil film between bearings and journal is never run out to maintain the oil
.lubrication

Spark erosion: It may lead to overheating of Main engine bearings caused by

.improper lubrication resulted by cavities

Methods to Measure Bearing Clearance

There are various types of methods adopted by different marine engine manufacturers to
measure the clearance of main bearing of marine engine. Following are some of the most
:prominent methods used onboard ships to measure the clearance of main bearing

Bridge with Depth Gauge )1

This method is used in SULZER 2 stroke marine engines where the bearing‘s shell is
removed along with the keep (the bearing shell is lined with the keep). After that a bridge
is fitted over the top of journal pin, from port to starboard, making a bridge over the
.crankshaft with two ends supported on the cross girder

A simple vernier type depth gauge is then inserted in the hole provided on the bridge and
the scale of depth gauge is rested on the crankshaft pin. The total depth on the scale is
measured and compared with the previous reading and the reading in the manual for
.calculating the wear down of bearing

In old model SULZER engines, a collar is provided in the bearing shell along with a small
hole. Thus without removing the keep, the bridge is fitted adjacent to the keep and the
.depth gauge is used from the hole provided in the shell to measure the shell wear down

Bridge With Feeler Gauge )2

In some engines, after removing the shell and the keep, the bridge is installed as explained
in the above point. Also, in place of depth gauge, a feeler gauge is used to measure the
clearance between the journal pin top and the bridge bottom. The bridge used here is
different in terms of height and the gap between the pin and the bridge is very less as
.compared to that of the bridge used in the above mentioned method
Telescopic or Swedish Feeler Gauge )3
In engines like MAN B&W, this is the most common method used to measure the bearing
clearance of the top shell. In this method there is no need to remove any connection or
.keep for measuring the clearance

The telescopic gauge is inserted between the gap of the crank web and the bearing keep.
When the tip reaches the shell top, the feeler is inserted between the shell and the pin to
.check the clearance
Dial type Depth Gauge )4
This method is used in new MAN B&W engines (SMC-C) which does not require the top
keep to be removed. The lube oil pipe connection screw hole is in the bearing keep which
.can be accessed from the hole on the bearing shell

The dial gauge is inserted in this screw hole and the reading is taken as the clearance for
.upper shell