Slide Bearing Fabrication Canada

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Custom slide and expansion bearing manufacturing in Canada in as little as 3 days!

WHAT ARE SLIDE BEARINGS?

A slide bearing comprises an upper element and a lower element, which operate by sliding against one another. The upper element is generally larger than the lower element by the amount of the anticipated movement. This ensures that the lower element is subjected to uniform load throughout motion and excludes foreign matter from the sliding interface.

The fantastic frictional properties of PTFE mean it is an ideal material to be used in this application. The material has very low friction coefficients with pads and slideways made from Virgin PTFE and the use of different grades of fillers can greatly improve wear resistance and friction coefficient.

Typical applications include construction, bridge bearings, pedestrian footbridges, storage tanks & structure expansion and movement joints.

We work in close partnership with many structural steel companies, architects, and engineers and find ourselves the technical partners to advise and supply PTFE slide bearings wherever movement within or at the interface between structures or objects exists. This can be from any of a number of inputs such as expansion & contraction from temperature change.

PTFE Slide Bearing Selection Guide:

Calculate the overall load of the structure as this will indicate the total area of the PTFE slide bearing required at an appropriate temperature and pressure
Consider the function and rigidity of the structure to determine the quantity and positions of the PTFE slide bearings.
Take account of any unusual conditions that will affect the PTFE slide bearings during operation, such as the temperature at the sliding interface, angular misalignment and the need for vibration damping
The type of adhesive used is determined by the temperature range at which the PTFE slide bearings will be operating. Determine the most suitable method of fixing the PTFE slide bearings to the installation
Consider the operating environment and select the type of steel for the backing plates accordingly

STC PTFE to SS Expansion Bearings

This is our most basic expansion bearing. The STC PTFE to SS Expansion Bearing has #8 mirror finished stainless steel upper and a Virgin PTFE lower (with or without glass reinforcement). This bearing is used when tolerances, loads and rotations are moderate.

You would typically see these bearings being installed in parking garages, pedestrian bridge and expansion joints.

TTC PTFE to PTFE Expansion Bearings

The TTC PTFE to PTFE expansion bearing is very similar in design to the STC PTFE to SS Expansion bearing with the main difference being this slide bearing has Virgin PTFE (with or without glass reinforcement) on both the upper and lower components. This slide bearing has a slightly higher coefficient of friction than the STC slide bearing but is used in situations where additional expansion is required.

You would typically see these bearings being installed in parking garages, pedestrian bridge and expansion joints.

Graphite Expansion Bearings

You would typically see these TTC slide bearings in slip joints, tank and expansion joints.

Reinforced PTFE compared to Virgin PTFE

PTFE Type:	Glass Filled PTFE	Virgin PTFE
Description	Reinforced with glass fibers, higher load bearing	Lower coefficient of friction
Color	White / Tan	White
Operating Temperature	-250 C to +260 C	-250 C to +260 C
Deformation under load (ASTM D621A)	24 HR @ 230C, 14 MPa = 1.0%	24 HR @ 230C, 14 MPa = 5.1%
Deformation under load (ASTM D621A)	1 HR @ 1500C, 5 MPa = 2.1%	1 HR @ 1500C, 5 MPa = 11.1%
Deformation under load (ASTM D621A)	Permanent = 0.8%	Permanent = 7.0%
Compressive Strength (ASTM D695)	1% Strain = 10.8 MPa (1560 PSI)	1% Strain = 4 MPa (580 PSI)
Compressive Strength (ASTM D695)	5% Strain = 30.0 MPa (4350 PSI)	5% Strain = 11.5 MPa (1670 PSI)
Compressive Strength (ASTM D695)	0.2% Offset = 18.2 MPa (2640 PSI)	0.2% Offset = 9 MPa (1300 PSI)
Maximum Pressure (Non Recessed)	Up to 18 MPa	Up to 6.9 MPa
Maximum Pressure (Recessed)	Up to 50 MPa	Up to 13.7 MPa
Coefficient of Friction (Dry)	0.03 - 0.07	0.04 - 0.07
Flammability (ASTM D635)	Self Extinguishing	Self Extinguishing
Water Absorption (ASTM D570)	0.0%	0.0%

Benchmark accepts no responsibility for individual results obtained. Everyone is strongly recommended to verify data and obtain their own independent test results. This data is subject to change without notice.

Vibsorb PTFE Bearing Pads with HI-LOAD FABRIC ELASTOMERIC TEFLON Slide Bearing PAD In high heat applications (under 400°F) and applications where it is necessary for the piping system to expand, the Vibsorb PTFE bearing pad will provide you with all of the qualities of Vibsorb bearing pad and give you a layer of PTFE substrate to act as an insulator from the temperature of the piping when the PTFE surface is placed on the pipe side of the restraint. In thermal applications when you want movement laterally and need the vibration dampening, the Vibsorb PTFE allows the movement while providing vibration damping when the PTFE surface is placed on the pipe side of the restraint.

Vibsorb Vibration Absorption Bearing pads are a layered rubber and cotton duck fabric bearing that can be used in a wide variety of structural bearing applications. They go by many names such as Fabric Bearings, Preformed Fabric Bearings, Cotton Duck Pads and Cotton Duck Bearings. They can have a sliding surface of PTFE and stainless steel for a Sliding Expansion Bearing or can be plain without sliding surfaces. These bearings are well suited when very little relative rotation can be expected (equal to or less than 0.003 radians) and where they will sustain no more than 2500 psi of compressive stress.

Except for Sliding Expansion Bearings (where movement is accommodated by the sliding PTFE/Stainless surface), they are not well suited if the movement is expected to be accommodated by shear of the fabric pad.