Mechanism of the fatigue cracks development in bearing slide layer

In the paper some problems concerning relations between slide bearings fatigue resistance and the bearing material and structure characteristics of the slide layer have been considered on the basis of bibliographic descriptions. In particular the mechanisms of the nucleation and development of cracks were discussed as dependent not only on the bearing dynamic loading pattern and number of loading cycles but also on the slide layer geometry and its structure design. Two basic types of the possible fatigue cracks were distinguished: structural and "magistral" ones. The process of the fatigue rapture formation and development were analyzed from the viewpoint of fracture mechanics according to the Nemec 's model. In particular types of fatigue cracks, structural cracks (cross-section of the bearing surface layer) and mechanism of fatigue crack development from the viewpoint of fracture mechanics, as well as fracture of magistral type (on the surface of the bearing) almost perpendicular to the circular direction of the bush, fatigue durability for various types of fracture developments, Fractures on the boundary of Si particle in AlSnl2 Si4 alloy and Sn particle in AlSn20 alloy, fractures on the boundary of the intermetallic compound grain CuAl2 in AlSn20 alloy are presented in the paper.