Abstract: The invention relates to a monotectic aluminium plain bearing alloy, comprising 5 to 20 wt. % bismuth, 3 to 20 wt. % zinc, 1 to 4 wt. % copper and additionally several of the components manganese, vanadium, niobium, nickel, molybdenum, cobalt, iron, tungsten, chromium, silver, calcium, scandium, cerium, beryllium, antimony, boron, titanium, carbon and zirconium in amounts up to 5 wt. % and aluminium to make 100 wt. %, produced by strip casting and during the subsequent production process for plain bearings, after rolling or roll-bonding, subjected to a heat treatment at ca. 270 to 400° C. Long bismuth particles or sheets, produced by rolling or roll-bonding can thus be recoagulated to give finely-distributed spherical drops with a size in the 20 ?m range and smaller.

Abstract: A sliding bearing which is multilayered, self-lubricating and maintenance-free includes a metallic supporting body; and a layer of sintered bronze which is provided on the metallic supporting body and which has pores filled with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to provide a PTFE-impregnated sintered bronze layer, the PTFE being uniformly distributed and serving as a solid lubricant, and the PTFE-impregnated sintered bronze layer having a sliding surface composed of the PTFE particles but no PTFE cover layer. The sliding bearing is made by a method including applying a layer of bronze powder onto the metallic supporting body, the bronze powder having different particle sizes, having a mean particle size of about 40 .mu.m, and having a particle shape which is dendritic; sintering the layer of bronze powder in a furnace at a temperature of about 800.degree. C.