CARPENTER & PATERSON – PTFE Slide Bearings
In a wide range of applications, PTFE slide bearings are superior to conventional expansion plates, rollers and rocker arm type supports. They support petrochemical plant, heavy machinery, pipelines, buildings and bridge girders: they accommodate lateral and/or axial movement of any structure as a result of thermal, seismic or differential forces.
Bearings for such applications must operate at high loads and low speeds, and it is under these conditions that the self-lubricating properties of PTFE are at maximum. This factor, together with its no stick-slip and anti-weathering characteristics, is the principle reason why PTFE has proved to be so successful as a slide bearing material.
The slide bearing possesses an extremely low coefficient of friction, thus enabling the stainless steel plate to slide easily against the PTFE material.
Key advantages of PTFE slide bearing:
- Simplistic design and ease of fabrication and installation results in cost efficiency.
- Costs of a construction can be reduced by designing for expansion rather than strain.
- Coefficient of friction over the bearing surface remains constant, even under worst case scenarios.
- The bearings are maintenance free – PTFE is inherently self-lubricating, while dirt particles are absorbed into the material. Only simple protection is required against the significant ingress of dirt.