Manufacture of plain bearings

A method of manufacturing a bearing material, the method including the steps of forming a water-based slurry having a solids content comprising 30 to 80% by volume of a fluoro-polymer, 10 to 30% by volume of web-forming fibrillated fibers, and 5 to 40% by volume of filler material selected from at least one of the group comprising:

• inorganic fibers;
• inorganic particulate material;
• metal fibers;
• metal powders;
• organic fibers;
• organic particulate material;
• and, organic matrix strengthening agents, the web-forming and filler materials being resistant to temperatures above the melting point or curing temperature of the fluoro-polymer;
• depositing a layer of the slurry on to a substrate so that the water drains from the layer and a deposited layer is formed in which the web-forming fibers form a web containing the fluoro-polymer and the filler material;
• impregnating the deposited layer into a backing selected from the group comprising a porous bonding layer;
• a perforated metal backing;
• and a mesh;
• heating the imgregnated material to a temperature above the melting point of the fluoro-polymer in order to cure the fluoro-polymer, the thickness of said deposited layer being chosen such that the thickness of the bearing material layer above the backing layer after impregnation and consequent consolidation lies within the range form 50 to 400 μm.