Method of producing composite bearing materials

Claim 1

A process for the continuous manufacture of carbon fiber reinforced shell bearings which process comprises: a. providing a continuous casting furnace and spaced therefrom, a cooling station comprising a water quench; b. supplying continuously to said furnace a continuous trough of a backing material; c. supplying longitudinally of the internal base of said trough in said furnace continuous carbon fibers in the form of a tow, the fibers of said tow being supplied across the width of said trough; d. supplying in said trough in said furnace, molten bearing metal at a temperature at which it wets said carbon fibers, whereby said carbon fibers are incorporated in said molten bearing metal; e. passing said trough containing said molten bearing metal and incorporated carbon fibers from said furnace to said cooling station, during which passage the carbon fibers rise through said molten bearing metal to approach the surface of said molten bearing metal; and f. cooling and solidifying said molten bearing in said cooling station by quenching with water to form the shell bearing product in the form of a continuous strip of bearing metal containing incorporated therein continuous carbon fibers concentrated near the surface of said bearing.