Selection of Materials depends on:

 wear resistance
 strength, specially bearing and bending strength,
 damping capacity
 heat capacity (It should not build up much heat.),
 environmentally neutral (It must stand hostile

environment like new coolant, lubricant etc.)

 the cost of production
• Gray cast iron is the most commonly used material
for slideways.
• Nickel and chromium is added to increase the wear
resistance and the bending strength
• The surface hardness can be increased by flame or
induction hardening.
• Hardness attained is 40-52 RC for ordinary gray cost
iron and 45-55 RC in nodular cast iron.
• Hardness upto 60-62 RC can be attained by Hardened
steel
Laminated plastics strips backed by cost iron or steel
pieces can be used.

Advantages :
• Uniform pressure
• Less seizure
• Reduced friction
• Reduction of wear
• Easy to fabricate
• Lower cost
Disadvantages:
 lower strength and hardness, usually designed

for pressure l0 kg/cm2

 tendency to-swell when they absorb oil.
 poor thermal conductivity, resulting in thermal

distortion.
 low speed range, v< 40m/min for satisfactory

running.
Wear is caused by factors such as:
 the properties of the material of the mating parts
 the surface roughness of the mating parts
 the pressure on the slideways
 the sliding velocity
 the total working life
 the dirt and chip accumulation on the slideways.
 Any shape of slideways can be hydro-statically
lubricated.