Sliding member

Abstract

A sliding member has a coating layer deposited on a base material through an intermediate layer, wherein the intermediate layer is formed of a lead-free metal, and the coating layer is formed of Bi or a lead-free Bi alloy; and wherein a grain in the intermediate layer becomes gradually large toward a coating layer side from a base material side, and a grain in the coating layer forms a columnar grain of which the major axis directs toward the surface of the coating layer from the intermediate layer side. Thus formed configuration improves a bonding strength between the base material and the coating layer owing to the intermediate layer, and has the grain of the coating layer formed into a desirable shape for bearing a load from an opposite material to improve fatigue resistance.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.