No.

4011797

A DIVISION OF EXALTO BV

TECHNICAL MANUAL
WATER LUBRICATED BEARINGS

Unit 8C1 Sir Francis Ley Industrial Estate Shaftesbury Street Derby DE23 8XA United Kingdom Date: November 2010 Tel: +44 (0)1332 340501 Fax: +44 (0)1332 340252 E-mail: sales@exalto.co.uk Web: www.exalto.co.uk Issue 04 Prepared by: Dennis Rawle and Jo Neal

INDEX
1. Principal of operation 2. Range of applications 3. Bearing types 3.1 Straight fluted 3.2 Helical grooved 3.3 Flanged 3.4 Castellated

Page 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 13 14 15 16

INTRODUCTION Water lubricated bearings are easier to maintain and more environmentally clean than oil or grease lubricated bearings, which is becoming more and more important as countries strive to become more green. The basic principle of a water lubricated bearing is based upon the low coefficient of friction between the rubber and the shaft when lubricated. Rubber lined bearings have often been called Cutless Bearings. This product has survived for many years, and is still a very successful bearing, despite the introduction of many other plastic and composite bearings materials. It has an outstanding ability to cope with poor quality water and can give a service life of in excess of 10 years; this has made it a very popular product. These bearings are simply made with an outer shell of metallic or non metallic material and an inner rubber liner. The rubber is chemically vulcanised to the shell by the use of bonding agents which ensure that the bond is stronger than the parent rubber. All bearings are machined on the outside diameter and precision ground on the internal diameter. This ensures that the optimum water clearance is used and that the bearing surface is concentric with the outside of the shell. The internal profile of the bearing can vary to suit the demands of the application, a spiral may be preferable to a straight fluted form where shaft deflection is critical. EXALTO UK Exalto UK is an independent company trading under the umbrella of a successful, well established Dutch holding company, Exalto BV. Exalto have been trading since 1964 in marine market and saw the potential of establishing their own manufacturing company.

4. Design Data 4.1 Tolerances and clearances 4.2 Nitrile rubber clearance 4.3 Phenolic shell swell calculation 4.4 Bearing loading 4.5 Operating speeds 4.6 Operating temperatures 4.7 Lubricant flow 4.8 Dry running 4.9 Shaft materials 5. Physical Characteristics 5.1 Deflection characteristics 5.2 Pressure head loss 5.3 Chemical compatibility 5.4 Storage conditions 6. Material characteristics 6.1 Nitrile rubber 6.2 Brass shell material 6.3 Non metallic shell materials 6.4 Other elastomers 7. Installation Instructions 7.1 Standard sequence 7.2 Reducing insertion force 7.3 Installation of Non Metalic Brg 8. IDEA Report 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Benchmarking 8.3 Conclusion Material & Services HSD001 Data Sheet HSD005 Data Sheet

Exalto UK was officially formed in 1996 and has steadily grown, supplying quality products into the bearing markets.

1. PRINCIPAL OPERATION
A fundamental study of the friction of soft rubber and metal bearings under various conditions has shown that the classical laws of bearing lubrication formulated by

The nature of rubber has several other advantages. Water lubricated bearings can operate in raw media, compared to white metal bearings where seals are necessary to retain the lubricant and prevent the ingress of dirt. In comparing white metal and many plastic materials, rubber will not melt and become a liquid under severe running conditions. Nitrile rubber responds to overheating by further vulcanizing to a situation where the bearing rubber becomes extremely hard. Additionally, due to the relative specific heat capacities of water compared to oil, water as a lubricant can remove far more frictional heat than oil. Therefore, in a pumped system the pump capacity can be reduced significantly. A further advantage of rubber lined bearings is their ability to adapt to misalignment and vibration. Particularly, in long shaft driven pumps and some high speed long shaft marine applications, where the slender shafts cause poor shaft alignment. The inherent nature of the rubber dampens vibration induced by rotational imbalance. This results in less noise and transmitted stress into the structure. The rubber will allow the shaft to rotate about its dynamic gyration centre, which may not be its geometric centre.

Towers, Reynolds etc. for cylindrical metal bearings, do not apply to the commercial type of rubber fluted bearings. Due to the fundamental differences underlying their performances, rubber bearings are superior to metal bearings under many conditions of industrial and marine use. The rubber liner has internal grooves called flutes which increase the performance of the bearing with the water as the lubricant. The rotation of the shaft creates a layer of water between the shaft and bearing, which is how it becomes a lubricant for the bearing. The lubricant is placed so no friction is present between the bearing and the other material, the flow of water reduces the wear on the shaft due to the low friction and keeps the bearing cool so it doesnt over heat. The resilient nature of the bearing surface can allow the passage of particulate matter between the shaft and bearing. The elastomer allows any particles to roll between the two surfaces without becoming embedded. The particles then harmlessly flush away down the water groove, see figure 1.

Figure 1

It is important that some operating principles are understood so that the subtle design details can be appreciated. The design of the internal shape of the rubber lands, and the thickness of the rubber, has a significant influence upon the coefficient of friction and wear rate. The relationship between the shell thickness and the rubber has been designed to keep the rubber thickness to an optimum value. The shape of the flute geometry can only be selected with respect to the hardness of the rubber. Harder rubbers deflect less, thus making the formation of a lubrication pocket harder to form. However, softer rubbers tend to form wiping lips in severe loading conditions. Machined rubber surfaces will have asperities, with harder rubbers these will tend to penetrate the lubricating film and increase the frictional drag. It has generally been accepted that elastomers 70-85o Shore A have the correct combination of properties. Nitrile rubber has been used in bearings for many years. Its combination of wear resistance and stability in water makes it an ideal material. Other materials have been tried and tested, which whilst they may perform initially the long term effects are unfavourable. One such example is polyurethane. Theoretically the physical characteristics look better than nitrile rubber; however the hygroscopic nature of the polyester urethanes reduces these values to below those of nitrile rubber. Further considerations are that polyurethane tends to produce significant wear debris, which produces greater shaft wear. This last point has been documented by a major pump manufacturer.

pumped fluid in or to stop contamination or pollution of the surrounding media. Standard steel and carbon materials for bearings cannot be used for applications in water, due to rusting, unless they are covered, a rubber material in water is the better option. The natural resilience of rubber gives the bearing its shock, vibration and noise absorption properties. The range of applications is vast the most common usage is by the Navy in ships, boats and submarines and in the water industry and oil industry. Generally pumps fall into two or three classes. Shaft driven submersible borehole pumps have bearings mounted along the shaft length to provide constraint and support as shown in figure 2.

2. RANGE OF APPLICATIONS
The principal advantage for using water lubricated bearings is the complete lack of the need for seals, either to keep the
3

Figure 2 Typical shaft submersible borehole pump.

driven

On a similar design theme, seawater lift pumps for fire fighting duties on North Sea oil rigs use a similar arrangement of bearings held in spider bushes. The aggressive environment and intermittent duty of these pumps, requires the pump and bearings to be made of high corrosion resistant materials such as super duplex stainless steels combined with nitrile rubber. Both materials can be supplied by Exalto UK. Large CW pumps have low lift requirements but continuously move large volumes of water. Therefore, they have to be high power efficient. The bearings used in these pumps have a highly complex design requirement. They must have a low coefficient of friction and high radial stiffness, so that rotor tip clearance can be minimised. These bearings often require a high modulus rubber with a special geometry.

pumping action in itself, where it is normal to have the shaft and spiral rotating in the same direction. Counter rotation is not harmful but an additional loss in head across the bearings of approx. 10% could be expected. 3.3 Flanged Bearings A water lubricated rubber flanged bearing is a bearing for vessel stern shafts. It is widely applied in a large variety of vessels from high-speed vessels, naval vessels, water turbines for its specialties as follows: Simple in structure, easy to dismantle and change, capable of effective function in a quite sandy water, high in efficiency and energy saving, low noise and absorption of vibration, pollution free. Its advantages compared to other non metal bearings of similar type: Higher wear resistance, stronger impact resistance, lower frictional coefficient, higher bearing capacity and re-lineable.

3. BEARING TYPES
There are two basic forms of fluting available; straight flutes and helical, left or right hand (usually termed spiral bearings). 3.1 Straight Fluted Straight fluted bearings are the most common type. The internal profile consists of a number of axial parallel water channels. The number and shape of these grooves have been designed by Exalto UK and tested by IDEA, (see IDEA conclusion on page 13), to give optimum lubrication under the most severe conditions. These bearings have the greatest open flow area for flushing lubricants. Therefore reducing the chance of a blockage, which could lead to failure. 3.2 Helical Grooved Where fluid restriction is required or greater stiffness, a helical groove is used. These are more commonly known as spiral bearings. The spiral invokes a small
4

Figure 3 Flanged bearings 3.4 Castellated This is a further derivative of the straight fluted bearing, where the internal profile of the shell is similar to the inner form of the rubber profile. The advantage of this arrangement is that the thickness of the active rubber can be tuned to give specific deflection characteristics. By reducing the number of flutes the bearing pad geometry

can be altered to give a much stiffer bearing. Further improvements in friction levels are obtained by increasing the length of bearing pad in contact with the shaft. This allows the formation of an elasto-hydrodynamic pocket. In theory a plain bore bearing would reduce the friction even further, however this would only run in clean water, which would obviously not be a practical consideration. When designing this type of bearing, care must be taken to ensure sufficient flushing grooves are maintained.

Basic Size mm Above Up to and Including 3

Shaft p6 Bearing O/D

+12 +6 +20 +12 +24 +15 +29 +18 +35 +22 +42 +26 +51 +32 +59 +37 +68 +43 +79 +50 +88 +56 +98 +62 +108 +68

10

10

18

4. DESIGN DATA
4.1 Tolerances & Clearances

18

30

30

50

For a bearing to operate satisfactorily there must exist a clearance between the shaft and bearing. These clearances must also take into account the amount of crush down that occurs when a bearing is pressed into a housing. These are basic clearances for standard conditions of temperature. An increase in temperature will require further clearances to be added, as illustrated in section 4.6. All surfaces will have been machined to a tolerance. This is the difference between the upper and lower machining limits. It is important that when these components are assembled the combination of these tolerances still leave sufficient running clearances. It is assumed that the crush down experienced by the shell during interference fitting is directly translated to a reduction in bore size. The interference fit on the shell is determined by ISO 2862, usually using H7 housing and p6 on the bearing. The fits applied to the bearing outside diameters are contained within ISO 286-2 document. The extract from the specification gives details of the fits for the standard range.

50

80

80

120

120

180

180

250

250

315

315

400

400

500

Table 1.

4.2 Nitrile Rubber Clearances All rubbers will absorb water and swell. The Exalto UK rubber has been compounded using non hygroscopic fillers to meet stringent requirements with respect to water absorption. The result is that no compensation has to be made for bore closure. The table below gives details of the clearances normally applied to nitrile bearings.
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BEARING TOLERANCES
0.7 0.6 0.5 Clearance mm 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 20 95 170 270 370 470 Upper Limit Lower Limit

Part no. MBSF 110

Lower limit = ((110/100x0.11) = 0.110mm Upper limit = (((110/100)x0.11)+0.1) = 0.210mm

Inside diameters are ground to give precise running clearances to ensure concentricity is maintained with the outer shell as illustrated in graph 2.
CONCENTRICTY TOLERANCING
0.25

Bearing I/D size

Concentricity mm

0.2

Graph 1.

0.15

Marine Pump

0.1

0.05

Shaft Size

Lower Limit + 0.10 + 0.11 + 0.13

0.1mm per 100mm shaft Diameter 0.1mm per 100mm shaft Diameter

Upper Limit + 0.20 + 0.21 + 0.23 + 0.15

0 20 95 150 170 270 370 470 570

20-95 100-120 125-150 155-200

Bore Size mm

Graph 2. For most normal applications, graph 1 and table 2 give the clearances applied to the rubber. These clearances are sufficient to provide adequate shaft support while allowing sufficient lubrication space. They may need to be modified if any of the following conditions are applicable:- Temperature greater than 30o C, large quantities of abrasives, clearances of other related components such as impellor wear rings, chemical swelling etc. 4.3 Phenolic Shell Swell Caluclation It is well established that the phenolic resin material used on bearing shells has an amount of water swell. The figure published in manufacturers literature gives a volume swell. However in a bearing environment, fluid absorption occurs form the exposed ends of the bearing, thus making it difficult to extrapolate from published data. To complicate the issue further, the absorption effect is fully reversible. Therefore phenolic shelled bearings are only recommended for use where close tolerances are unnecessary. If we now
6

205-250

+ 0.20

Table 2. To calculate a specific example, follow instructions as detailed below. For temperatures up to 30 C, the following can be used to estimate the upper and lower diameter of a bearing. D = Bearing bore in mm. Lower limit (Subject to minimum 0.1) = (((D/100) x 0.1) Upper limit (((D/100) x 0.1) + 0.1) Examples:Part no. MBSF 50
Lower limit = ((50/100x0.1) = 0.05mm 0.1 Upper limit = (((50/100)x0.1)+0.1) = 0.20mm
o

consider the situation where a phenolic shell is used with a relatively high hygroscopic material such as polyurethane, then the result is a bearing with two materials that will swell at different rates and by different amounts. Usually bearings of this construction are provided with very wide clearances initially. The calculation of swell of the phenolic material has been derived from empirical testing and is based on wall thickness. Should this be required then a specific calculation can be produced. 4.4 Bearing Loading For normal pumping applications a figure of 2.5kg/cm2 is used as the continuous running figure under standard lubrication. The definition of the load capacity of a bearing is the normal radial load divided by the projected area. That is the inside diameter multiplied by the bearing length. This ignores the open area available for water flushing, so the loading on the rubber is higher than the calculation would suggest. During certain operating regimes the bearing may be subject to higher loads, ie. Closed valve operation, the result of this higher load is to increase the deflection experienced by the shaft. A slight increase in friction coefficient may be experienced depending on the amount of an applied load. Rubber bearings can support tremendous loads, between 5060kg/cm2, however the conditions have to be near perfect. That is large amounts of clean filtered water. In some applications such as hydro electric turbines, this can be arranged where the filtered supply for the thrust bearing, is passed through the rubber bearings. In these cases, bearings have supported loadings of 7-10kg/cm2 for many years without any harm. Generally harder bearing materials can support greater specific loadings. In some cases ceramics are now being used. However, it is interesting that the ceramic journals themselves are being supported
7

in rubber bushes to allow for peak edge loading due to assembly misalignment. 4.5 Operating Speeds The maximum rotational speed in a water lubricated bearing has never been physically determined. It is known that peripheral speeds greater than 35m/s have been achieved on a marine application. It is unlikely in the pumping industry that speeds of this order will be attained. Normal speeds are in the 510m/s range. Prelonged running at speeds below 0.25m/s may require the provision of special lubrication requirements. At these speeds the lubrication regime will definitely not be hydrodynamic. A graph of friction coefficient against load is shown below.

FRICTION CHARACTERISTICS
0.8 0.7

Coefficient of Friction

0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0 0.09 0.18 0.35 0.7 1.05 1.41 1.76 2.11 2.46 2.81 3.16

Loan in kg/Sqcm

Graph 3. 50mm Diameter bearing, running at 750 RPM. Elastomeric bearings have significant advantages in dealing with rotations where out of balance forces are present. The rubber can allow the shaft to rotate about its axes of gyration. This may not coincide with its geometric centre and damp out the resulting vibration.

4.6 Operating Temperatures The maximum operating temperature of a bearing system is limited by its polymer type and bond between the elastomer and shell. High temperatures will cause excessive strain between elastomer and shell due to differential thermal expansion. This will inevitably reduce the physical properties, as long term exposure will continue the vulcanization process in sulphur cured rubbers. In the case of some rubbers degradation may occur. Polyurethane rubber will tend to swell more by hygroscopic absorption at higher temperatures. Table 3, details the normal maximums for material.
Materials Cont Running o C 80 +/- 5o
o

bore, expand in a complex way. The net result is a reduction in the running clearances. Standard bearings will operate up to 30o C, temperatures greater than this should be referred to the manufacturer. 4.7 Lubricant Flow The prime function of a lubricant in any bearing is the removal of frictional heat. An elastomeric bearing, whether in an open flow or closed circuit, will require a certain minimum amount of cooling water. The minimum flow can be calculated by a simple heat balance equation or more normally using a simple empirical formula. Example 1 Simple Empirical Formula
A 75mm diameter bearing @ 115mm long (L:D approx 1:1.5) To be run in a pumping application 2 For normal running 0.7L/hr/cm = F For heavy silted applications 2.0L/hr/cm2 = F 2 Lubricant flow rate Q = F x Projected area in cm Q = 0.7 x (7.5 x 11.5) Q = 87 L/hr Example 2 Heat Balance Formula

Max Excursion o C 110 +/- 5o

o

Nitrile

Polyurethane

60 +/- 5

100 +/- 5

HNBR

150 +/- 5o
o

170 +/- 5o
o

To enable this calculation to be done an assumption regarding the coefficient of friction has to be made. Using the bearing in example 1 with a radial loading of 1000N and shaft running at 1425 RPM. Assuming C.O. Friction = 0.01 (Graph 3)

Viton

200 +/- 5

220 +/- 5

A) Find Frictional Torque T = DL 2 Where T = Torque, (NM) = Coefficient of Friction D = Diameter of Bearing, (M) L = Load, Newton (N) T = 0.01 x 0.075 x 1000 2 T = 0.375 NM B) Find Power Loss Where P=2xxNxT P = 2 x x 1425 x 0.375 60 P 56 Watts This energy must be dissipated by the cooling fluid. T = Torque, (NM) N = Speed, (RPM)

Minimum temperature operation is rarely encountered, but again is governed by the polymer type and bond. All elastomers have a glass transition temperature where they will behave in a brittle manner. Generally bearings should not be operated at much below 10o C, and then of course in an anti freeze solution. Nitrile has a glass transition temperature at approximately 25o C. As with most materials the short term effect of temperature elevation is to cause an expansion in volume. Bearings being bonded on one surface and fluted in the
8

C) Evaluate Flow Rate Q = P x 3600 CW x T Where P = Power loss CW = Specific Heat capacity Of water (J/kg/oC) T = Allowable Temperature Rise (OC)

using this compound over expensive exotic plastics. 4.9 Shaft Materials When designing a bearing, care must be taken to consider the entire system, that is the shaft and journal. Both the material and surface finish must be specified to ensure the performance is correct. Generally the shaft material or sleeve should be a non corrodible material of hardness of 180o Brinell or above. The surface finish needs to be in the range 0.4-0.8m Ra, rougher surfaces tend to wear the bearing significantly and smoother textures tend to increase the coefficient of friction. This degree of surface finish can be achieved by fine lathe turning.

Q = 56 x 3600 = 9.6 L/Hr 4200 x 5

For most applications the pumped media is suitable for use directly as bearing lubricant. Generally a coarse mesh filter on the intake is sufficient to prevent the ingress of large particulate matter. In cases where enhancing the life of the bearing is desirable, a clean water flushing supply can be used. Where the bearing forms a critical machine components. ie. Turbine runner bearing filtration at 0.150 m, will maximize the bearing life. For applications where water may not be present at the start up, provision may be necessary to pre-flush the bearings, this also applies to areas where biological growth or deposits form. 4.8 Dry Running Any elastomer will have a limit to its capability to run unlubricated. For completely dry bearings loaded to 2.5 kg/cm2, the time taken for damage to occur is relatively short. However in practice for applications where a dry run period is experienced, the bearing loading is relatively low and because of residual humidity, not absolutely dry. Therefore, this is not usually a limiting factor. Exalto UK has been providing a modified elastomer for dry running application for many years. Typically these are in situations where the head of the pump takes a little time to develop and the upper shaft bearing remain unlubricated for this period. The elastomer used was based on a compound used for seals and has a long history in this type of application. Some major OEMs have found considerable success and cost savings by
9

5. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
5.1 Deflection Characteristics One important aspect of bearing design is the calculation of the response of a bearing to an applied load. It is important because movement of the shaft away from its centre line will mean that the rotor will move closer to the casing. Excessive movement will cause the components to contact resulting in damage. As the demand for higher efficiencies in pumps increases, there is always pressure to reduce the rotor tip clearances. Therefore the amount of radial deflection can be critical. Additionally, when examining the behaviour of a long slender shaft, the dynamic bearing stiffness is required as a component in the vibrational analysis. 5.2 Pressure Head Loss The fact that a change in pressure is experienced when a fluid flow is forced to pass through a discontinuity, is well known.

In a similar fashion, water passing through a bearing will also experience a pressure loss. This can either be desired or an unwanted effect. In a pump where shaft protection is employed, bearings are encased in a tube with cooling water being pumped through the tube. The head loss in each bearing is required to be low to reduce the size of the pump required for cooling water. In pumps where the pumped fluid is taken in a separate discharge branch to the shaft, fluid passing through the bearing is a loss of efficiency and therefore must be minimized. The various fluting profiles offer different restrictions to flow. Straight fluted with large open area for little flow restriction, spiral with partial restriction and plain bore with large flow restriction. The amount of pressure loss through a bearing can be approximated by calculation. A programme has been written to allow the design of sealing arrangements. 5.3 Chemical Compatibility Generally nitrile rubber is resistant to most commonly encountered pumped media. A complete listing of compatibility is in our data sheet HDS005. 5.4 Storage Conditions Rubber is a material, which can be stored for long periods of time without any adverse effects. However, to ensure that the rubber remains in perfect condition, there are certain environments that must be avoided. If the bearings are installed within a pump body, it is important that no static loads are imposed on the rubber over long periods of time. This means that in horizontal applications the shaft should be wedged away from the bearing. Ideally rubber bearings should be stored at low temperatures, below 18oC, away from any sources of localised heat and
10

packaged in a manner, which excludes ultra violet radiation. Sources of ozone such as welding plant, electrical switchgear etc. and conditions of high humidity, should be avoided. Generally, if the above conditions can be achieved, a rubber bearing can be stored for 5-10 years. After this period, due to ozone attack, the rubber will begin to degrade. This takes the form of very fine crazing of the surface. Exalto UK would be pleased to advise, if any doubts exist, relating to storage conditions and time periods.

6. MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS
6.1 Nitrile Rubber The elastomer used for the bearing surface has to be formulated by Exalto UK to give a suite of properties. The base polymer is a high quality nitrile. Several groups of ingredients are added, such as non hygroscopic fillers to give structural strength, antioxidants and environmental protectants to give long term stability. The cure system has been chosen to reduce the water absorption even further. The selection of the correct base polymer, gives extremely low water swell and a high abrasion resistant. The bonding system has been chosen to give a bond strength greater than the tear strength of the rubber. The particular system is extensively used in the production of oil seals, where conditions of temperature and environment are more than that encountered in bearing applications. Exalto UK offers nitrile rubbers as standard, a 65-70 Shore A compound for most uses and a 85-90 Shore A hard nitrile for greater stiffness bearings.

6.2 Brass Shell Material Generally marine bearings are made from a corrosion resistant brass. Several specifications are suitable. 6.3 Non Metallic Shell Materials Traditionally a paper based phenolic resin tube has been used for a shell material. This is a well tried and tested material that avoids the problems of galvanic corrosion in aluminium hulled boats. The material can be machined to the same tolerances as brass and is readily available. However, there is one major drawback in that the material is hygroscopic, as detailed in section 4.3. This is relatively easy to compensate for, by initially increasing the clearances. The ideal material would be a non-metallic shell that did not absorb water. After stringent testing a glass fibre shell has been selected. With several years of service experience Exalto is confident that our GRP shelled bearings offer the best combination of stability and service life of any bearing. 6.4 Other Elastomers Although nitrile rubber is an excellent material there are certain limitations where other elastomer types would be more suited. Exalto UK can offer the following materials. Hydrogenated or Carboxylated Nitrile This is in the same family but has extended temperature capability (see section 4.6). These materials are more expensive than nitrile but provide a useful extension to the temperature range. EPDM (Ethylene-Polpylene-DiamineMonomer) Bearings in the material have a use in pumping applications and overlap with nitrile in many cases. Exalto uses this shore material for WRAS approval when required.

Fluoroelastomer (Viton) This is more commonly known as Viton which is a DuPont trade name. It is a family of elastomers providing a high degree of chemical stability. The polymer can withstand temperatures greater than 200o C. Typical applications are geothermal power plants, phosphating plants etc. Hollex UK offers numerous elastomers for bearings, these are summarised in data sheet HDS001.

7. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
7.1 Standard Sequence For a bearing to operate satisfactorily it must be mounted correctly, see figure 4.

Right

Wrong

Figure 4 All bearings are precision machined inhouse to suit a housing with a H7 hole, in accordance with ISO 286-2. Sleeve Bearings: In marine applications, cutless sleeve bearings are generally installed in a housing with a light press fit and held in place by cone point set screws. Often a second setscrew is installed on top of the first to lock the first setscrew in place. The bearing shell is spotted to receive the setscrews in such a manner as to prevent them from extending through the shell into the rubber and thus forcing the rubber against the shaft. This permits the setscrew to prevent movement of the bearing without requiring the screw to be so tight that distortion of the bearing could occur.
11

Flanged Bearings: Flanged type bearings should be installed with a light press fit and secured by suitable studs and nuts through the flange. Press Fit/Shrink Fit: Chilling sleeve and flanged bearings before fitting is an acceptable practise to achieve an interference fit between the bearing shell and housing. The method of chilling must be slow and mild in temperature (no lower than -18oC) and the interference fit light. If the chilling is fast with extreme temperature drops, the thermal shock can result in the separation of the bond between the rubber and the metal shell. Never use dry ice to cool a Cutless Bearing. The interference fit between the outside diameter of the bearing and the inside diameter of the housing should not be more than a light press fit. Chilled bearings should be pressed into the housing, not pounded. Pounding a chilled bearing can create sufficient shock to separate or break the metal to rubber bond. 7.2 Reinstallation of the Installation Lubricants Shaft &

below -18oC (0oF). Never use dry ice. Never pound or shock the bearing while it is cooled. This may cause the rubber to separate from the shell. After the bearing is pressed into the housing, prepare the bearing shell for setscrews by drilling the bearing shell through the centre of the tapped setscrew holes. Drill part way through the shell only. Do not drill into the rubber.

8. IDEA REPORT
8.1 Introduction Exalto UK contacted IDEA in order to investigate and improve the current range of Exalto water lubricated bearings. To find weak points of the current design IDEA started a measurement programme. A very accurate test rig was built (see figure 5) and tests were executed. Not only Exalto bearings, but also the bearings of other manufacturers were tested with an emphasis on friction and vibration.
Water inlet

Use care in installing heavy shafts. In the case of large and heavy shafts, use a mild water-soluble soap on all bearings. Never use petroleum-based lubricants. Nonwater-soluble lubricants can leave a residue that can restrict water flow. Glycerine is a suitable lubricant to use when installing shafts. Care must be taken to prevent tearing the rubber lining when the shaft is inserted into the bearing. The weight of the shaft should be properly supported during the process. 7.3 Installation of non metallic Bearing Installation of New sleeve Bearing The bearing should fit the housing with a light press fit. Do not lubricate the inside of the housing or the outside of the bearing shell. If installation is difficult, the bearing may be slowly cooled using a freezer or conventional ice for a minimum of 2 hours before installation. Never cool
12

Inductive Sensor

Bearing housing DC Motor

Bearing

RPM sensor

Mass

Figure 5 8.2 Benchmarking Due to testing all Exalto bearing types (as well as a number of competitors) a minimum requirement for the new bearing is defined; The new bearing should perform better than the existing Exalto bearing range.

8.3 Conclusions In the design of a possible new bearing a clearance of ID +0.0/+0.1 can be used. A larger clearance increases eccentricity and friction. Vibrations are no problem in a range of ID +0.5/+0.1. The frequency of the vibration is exactly the same as the shaft speed. Since it is relatively simple to install bearing in a wrong way (see figure 4 page 11), this is tested as well. At low speeds this results in slightly more vibrations, but above 100rpm no problems are to be expected. Contaminated water does not affect the performance of the bearing, nor does warm or cold water. External vibrations are damped quite well by the water film and the rubber liner. The current Exalto bearing design can be seen as a benchmark. It can be assumed that they have best in class performance.

The conclusion is that it is really hard to improve these bearings.

This information is offered as part of our service to customers. The information provided is at their own discretion and risk.

13

Materials and Services currently available from Exalto UK Ltd

Size range from 20mm (3/4) upwards Standards - kept in stock Specials - to order

Shell Materials

Ferrous Mild Steel Stainless Steel Duplex Steels Cast Iron Etc.

Non Ferrous Brass Bronze Non Metallics

Elastomeric Lining materials

Standard Nitrile Rubber 65 70 Shore A 85 90 Shore A

Other materials offered

Viton, EPDM, Polyurethane.

Machining & Tolerances

Outside diameters : ISO tolerances Inside diameters : Build in water Clearances

Full technical service

Emergency and breakdown service available

14

Applications List for Pump Bearings

Nitrile Rubber for dry running applications.

Under 20 Secs in vertical pumps with low specific loading. Tempreatures to 200 deg C and pH to 1.5

Many examples with shafts from 80 270mm in service. Coefficient of friction reduced during dry period. Rubber formulated with friction reducing agents throughout material. Uses in chemical process pumps, condensate extraction, some crude oil pumps with sour gas. Can be bonded to most substrates. Largest bearings in current use 150mm dia.

Viton rubbers used for highly acidic environments and high temps. Natural Rubber high abrasion resistanct.

Any tupe of bearing Shore hardness from 5080 A Any type of bearing Shore hardness from 5080 A Tempreatures 150o C to

Normally used in paper processing where highly abrasive paper particles cause premature failure. Has disadvantage that it will swell in the presence of oil contaminations. EPDM has excellent weathering properties and is normally used for drinking water pumps where many grades are available that carry approvals. Again suffers from swell in contact with oils. Excellent compound for higher temperature applications. Used extensively for down hole drilling applications. Hybrid polymeric elastomer, good abrasion resistance, some water swell but stable when saturated. Can be bonded to substrates.

EPDM

Hydrogenated Nitrile.

THORDON

PTFE + 25% Graphite

Vertical pump applications

Graphite loaded to give structural rigidity PTFE is highly chemically resistant. Will operate at high temperatures and gives low breakout torque.

Graphalloy

Pump applications, high modulus material

Graphite loaded bronze for high modulus bearings, low coefficient of friction, can run dry under certain conditions.

Silicon Carbide

Flexible mounted for shock resistance

Ceramics provide a performance envelope that will deal with very hard abrasive particles. Particular emphasis to mounting and supporting material to avoid tensile stresses. Has some water swell but normally stable when saturated, has some chemical resistance qualities, will melt if overheated.

Polyurethane

Pump applications

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Chemical Resistance Chart HDS005

For Nitrile rubber bearings with Stainless Steel/Brass/Phenolic and Glass Fibre Shells. This list is not exhaustive and must only be used as a guideline. Immersion of a test piece in the fluid is the only 100% guaranteed method for compatibility testing.

Chemical environment
ACIDS Acetic (Glacial) Chlorine Water Hydrochloric Phosphoric 80% Sulphuric 25% Sulphuric 50% INORGANIC SALTS Ammonia 25% Ammonium Hydroxide Potassium Hydroxide Copper, Ferric, Zinc Chlorides Silver Nitrate Sodium Thiosulphate ORGANIC MATERIALS Acetone Alcohols Ethyl Glycol Glycerine Hexane Mineral Oils Petroleum Oils Phenol Soap Solutions Turpentine Vegetable Oils PLATING SOLUTIONS Brass, Copper, Lead Gold, Silver Nickel Tin, Zinc

Suitability of Nitrile rubber

Satisfactory

Satisfactory

Satisfactory

Satisfactory

General Guidelines
If the pumped fluid is with pH 4-11 at ambient temperatures, then generally there will be no effect, for rubber or shell. For applications with any trace of Hydrocarbons then use Viton rubber supplied by Exalto UK Ltd.

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