What is a Copper Bush?

A copper bush is an indispensable functional component in mechanical systems, made of high-quality copper alloys (such as tin bronze, brass, and aluminum bronze). Its core value lies in four key functions: supporting the shaft system, reducing friction loss, transmitting loads, and protecting the base. It is the "invisible guardian" for the stable operation of mechanical systems.

Supporting rotating/sliding shafts to ensure motion accuracy

As the "intermediate carrier" between the shaft and the base, the copper bush ensures the shaft does not deviate or wobble during rotation or sliding by precisely matching the shaft's dimensions (e.g., tolerance control at the micron level). For example, Yangzhou Yifeng Copper Products Co., Ltd. manufactures tin bronze bushes for mining equipment, which can support the main shaft of mining machinery under high loads while maintaining rotational accuracy, avoiding uneven wear failures caused by direct friction between the shaft and the frame.

Reducing friction loss to improve mechanical efficiency

Copper alloys (such as lead-containing tin bronze) have self-lubricating properties and a low friction coefficient (about 1/3 of steel). They can form a "lubricating film" through self-wear even without external lubrication or insufficient lubrication, significantly reducing friction loss between the shaft and the bush. In contrast, steel bushes rely on oil lubrication (otherwise, they are prone to "seizure" failures), while copper bushes can reduce energy consumption and extend the life of the shaft system.

Transmitting loads and dispersing stress

The high strength of copper alloys (e.g., the tensile strength of aluminum bronze can reach over 600MPa) allows them to bear radial/axial loads transmitted by the shaft and evenly disperse the load to the base (such as engine blocks or gearbox housings), avoiding local stress concentration in the base. For example, in the rolling mill system of metallurgical machinery, copper bushes can transmit loads of several tons from the rollers, protecting the base from being crushed.

Protecting mating components to avoid direct damage

If the shaft and base contact directly, the wear of the shaft will quickly lead to equipment downtime (e.g., friction between the engine crankshaft and cylinder block can cause "scuffing"). As a "sacrificial component," the copper bush wears much slower than the shaft (copper's hardness is about half that of steel, but its wear resistance is 2-3 times that of steel), protecting the shaft and base from direct damage and reducing maintenance costs.

Core Advantages of Copper Alloy Bushes Compared to Other Materials

Copper alloy bushes far exceed steel and plastic in terms of wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and machinability. The core advantages are as follows:

Wear resistance and self-lubrication

Copper alloys (such as tin bronze) contain tin and lead elements, have a low friction coefficient, and strong self-lubricating properties. They can form a "lubricating film" through self-wear even without external lubrication or insufficient lubrication, reducing friction loss between the shaft and the bush. In contrast, steel bushes rely on external lubrication (otherwise, they are prone to "seizure" failures), while plastic bushes are prone to deformation and failure due to low hardness and poor heat conduction during long-term operation.

Corrosion resistance and environmental adaptability

Copper alloys naturally have anti-seawater, anti-acid/alkali, and anti-oxidation properties, which can cope with harsh working conditions such as marine environments (ship propulsion systems) and chemical scenarios (oil and gas equipment). For example, the copper bushes of Yangzhou Yifeng Copper Products Co., Ltd. can withstand salt spray and corrosive media erosion for a long time in offshore drilling platforms and ship lock lifting systems; while steel bushes are prone to rust and corrosion, and plastic bushes are afraid of strong acids and alkalis.

Machinability and precision adaptability

Copper alloys have excellent cutting performance and can achieve high precision (such as micron-level tolerances) through processes like turning, milling, and CNC machining, adapting to scenarios with high dimensional accuracy requirements, such as engines and precision machinery. Steel bushes are difficult to process (requiring heat treatment and grinding), while plastic bushes are difficult to meet precision conditions due to low strength and easy deformation.

Load-bearing capacity and high-temperature stability

Copper alloys have high strength and fast heat conduction, which can bear high loads (such as heavy-duty shafts in mining equipment) and maintain performance stability in high-temperature environments (such as near furnace bodies in metallurgical machinery). Although steel bushes have high strength, they soften at high temperatures; plastic bushes cannot cope with high-temperature scenarios due to their low heat deformation temperature.

Corrosion Resistance of Copper Bushes from Yangzhou Yifeng Copper Products Co., Ltd.

As a professional copper alloy manufacturer, Yangzhou Yifeng Copper Products Co., Ltd. (Yangzhou Yifeng Copper Products Co., Ltd.) has corrosion resistance in its copper bushes derived from material optimization, process upgrading, and scenario adaptation. The specific performance is as follows:

Material selection: Targeted anti-corrosion

The company selects different copper alloys based on application scenarios:

• Tin bronze bushes: Contain 5%-10% tin (Sn), have strong anti-seawater corrosion resistance, and are suitable for ship propulsion sealing systems and offshore drilling platforms;
• Aluminum bronze bushes: Contain 8%-10% aluminum (Al), have excellent anti-acid/alkali corrosion resistance, and are suitable for metallurgical machinery and oil and gas equipment in corrosive environments;
• Brass bushes: Contain 20%-40% zinc (Zn), have good anti-atmospheric corrosion resistance, and are suitable for mining equipment and engineering machinery in outdoor scenarios.

Process guarantee: Surface treatment and structural design

Surface treatment: Processes such as tin plating and passivation are used to form a dense protective film on the surface of the bush, further improving corrosion resistance;

Structural design: Some bushes have oil grooves and heat dissipation holes to reduce the accumulation of corrosive media, and indirectly protect material stability by reducing friction heat through self-lubrication.

Scenario verification: Long-term testing in multi-industry extreme conditions

The company's copper bushes have passed long-term verification in industries such as mining (e.g., mining machine shaft bushes), shipping (e.g., ship lock lifting systems), and metallurgy (e.g., steelmaking furnace bearings):

• In marine environments, copper bushes can resist salt spray corrosion, and their service life is 2-3 times longer than that of steel bushes;
• In chemical scenarios, aluminum bronze bushes can withstand weak acids and alkalis, avoiding the "swelling failure" of plastic bushes.

Research and development support: Upgrading anti-corrosion technology through industry-university-research cooperation

The company has established a close R&D partnership with Southwest Jiaotong University and jointly set up an industry-university-research cooperation base to focus on "highly corrosion-resistant copper alloys" R&D:

• Optimize alloy composition (such as adding nickel and chromium elements) to improve pitting corrosion and crevice corrosion resistance;
• Develop "gradient corrosion-resistant" bushes (high corrosion resistance on the surface and high strength inside) to balance corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, meeting extreme working condition requirements.