Ensuring reliable operation of all equipment installed above the waterline is a tough issue for any ship’s crew. Originally developed to replace greased bronze bearings, ThorPlas-Blue is life-time lubricated – lubricants in the homogeneous polymer ensure a low, stable coefficient of friction, even as the bearing wears, while offering long bearing wear life with no maintenance.
When a non-corroding pin or shaft liner is included as part of the conversion as recommended, ThorPlas-Blue does not require greasing to ensure smooth operation. The lubricants formulated throughout the homogenous ThorPlas-Blue polymer matrix ensure a low, stable coefficient of friction, even as the bearing wears. In applications where movement is infrequent and there is significant exposure to salt water spray, if space permits, high performance Thorseal lip seals can be considered to prevent the ingress of seawater and possible buildup of salt deposits in the bearing. Wear rates are very low compared to greased bronze ensuring long life and dramatically reduced maintenance costs.
A Thordon solution has also been developed for the live end of a hydraulic steering system. The ThorPlas-Blue Self Aligning Bearing (SAB) solves the problem of less than desirable alignment tolerances in the hydraulic steering system design. As most bearings in the steering system are greased sleeve type bushings, there is no allowance for vertical movement of the tiller pins. The ThorPlas-Blue SAB allows the bearing to tolerate small angular misalignment resulting from deflection or improper mounting. The bearing can also handle other damaging factors such as vibration, corrosion, and pollution.