Self-lubricating bearings have become a standard specification across commercial and military aircraft programs, with DU-type PTFE-lined bushings increasingly specified for landing gear struts, flight control linkages, and flap actuation mechanisms. GGB's DU-B bearings, featuring a bronze backing with a porous bronze inner structure coated in PTFE-based antifriction lining, are currently used in all production models of one of the world's largest commercial aircraft manufacturers. These bearings eliminate the ladder cracking and heat damage problems that plague lubricated steel-on-steel interfaces in landing gear strut rods under the repeated shock loads of touchdown cycles.

The aerospace industry certifies self-lubricating sleeve bearings under SAE AS81934 (formerly MIL-B-81934), which covers plain and flanged designs incorporating PTFE liners for operation from -65°F to +325°F (-54°C to +163°C). DU bearings extend well beyond this range, with a proven service envelope of -195°C to +280°C, making them suitable for cryogenic fuel system components and high-temperature engine bay accessories alike. The three-layer construction — carbon steel backing, sintered spherical bronze interlayer (30–45% porosity), and a PTFE/MoS₂ composite overlay — delivers a static load capacity of 140 N/mm² and dynamic capacity of 60 N/mm². In oscillating flight control applications, the PV limit of 3.6 N/mm²·m/s ensures stable operation under the alternating loads typical of rudder and aileron pivots.

Landing gear applications place the most severe demands on bushing performance. A typical main landing gear strut contains two plain bearings — upper and lower — while the nose gear uses one. GGB's DU-B design handles dynamic loads up to 140 MPa at temperatures reaching 280°C during braking sequences. The self-lubricating PTFE layer eliminates the need for grease fittings and periodic relubrication, reducing maintenance intervals on aircraft that log thousands of flight hours annually. For operators, this translates to fewer scheduled maintenance tasks per airframe and reduced fluid inventory requirements across the fleet. The DU-H half bushing variant is commonly used in hinge-point applications where full-wrap bushings cannot be installed after assembly.

Beyond landing gear, DU-P slide bearings appear in flap track fairings and thrust reverser linkages, where the PTFE transfer film maintains a consistent friction coefficient of 0.05–0.15 across the full temperature range. Unlike greased bronze bushings that require reapplication after each high-temperature cycle, the solid lubricant reservoir within the porous bronze layer provides consistent lubrication for the bearing's entire service life. As aircraft OEMs push toward reduced maintenance requirements for next-generation platforms, the adoption of DU-type self-lubricating bushings in secondary flight control systems and cargo handling mechanisms continues to expand, supported by decades of in-service data from existing programs.