POLYLUBE Design Guide
POLYLUBE Design Guide
Polygon Company, established in 1949, is renowned for its engineered materials, particularly self-lubricating composite bearings. The company is structured into five main product divisions, including PolyLube™ and PolyMed™ composites, and holds multiple patents in journal bearing technology.
The document outlines various PolyLube bearings designed for specific applications:
- PolyLube Fiber Series Bearings: Suitable for high-load, low friction applications.
- PolyLube MRP and MRP-SL Bearings: Ideal for agriculture and construction with good load capacity.
- PolyLube Glass Tape Bearings: Effective in reducing stick/slip issues.
- PolyLube IFR Bearings: Resistant to impact fatigue.
- PolyLube High Temperature Bearings: Operate in environments over 450°F.
- PolyLube Guide Rod Bushings: Used in pneumatic cylinders to address corrosion and misalignment.
Emphasizes self-lubrication, embedability, PV rating, and PTFE film transfer for optimal performance, reducing the need for external lubrication.
These bearings offer cost savings by eliminating maintenance and reducing environmental contamination, beneficial in challenging lubrication environments.
Recommended for conditions requiring self-lubrication, high load capacities, corrosion resistance, and weight reduction, suitable for wide temperature ranges and electrical insulation needs.
Composite bearings like PolyLube provide superior performance over traditional greased bearings, offering higher load capacities and eliminating lubrication maintenance.
PolyLube Fiber Series bearings support dynamic loads up to 30,000 PSI and static loads up to 60,000 PSI, with a temperature range of ±325°F. They offer higher load capacities and better shock resistance compared to traditional bearings.
Suitable for material handling, cranes, earth-moving, construction, agriculture, and food processing systems, ideal for long-term, maintenance-free operation.
MRP and MRP-SL series offer cost-effective alternatives with similar performance, addressing stick-slip issues in lightly loaded joints.
PolyLube Glass Tape bearings are designed for moderate RPM and higher surface velocities, supporting dynamic loads of 7,000 PSI and static loads of 40,000 PSI.
For pressures below 3,000 PSI, Tape bearings are recommended due to lower friction, while Fiber bearings are suitable for pressures above 6,000 PSI.
PolyLube Glass Tape bearings have a lower coefficient of friction and higher PV limit compared to other bearings, ideal for applications sensitive to stick-slip phenomena.
PolyLube IFR bearings offer improved fatigue resistance with a proprietary laminate structure, enhancing durability under stress.
Detailed mechanical properties include tensile strength, compression strength, and Poisson's ratio. HT bearings offer high load capacity and self-lubrication.
PolyLube bearings outperform sintered bronze, metal-backed, and thermoplastic bushings in load capacity and lubrication reliability.
Suggested for high-performance applications under stress and temperature variations, offering reduced maintenance and longer lifespan.
Self-lubricating bearings reduce the need for additional lubrication, with recommendations for non-corrosive materials and suitable lubricants to enhance performance.
Guidelines for proper installation to avoid edge damage and ensure performance, including chamfer angles and corner treatments.
PolyLube bearings have high dielectric strengths, similar to epoxy fiberglass tubes.
Recommendations for cutting and deburring composite materials, with standard sizes and part number identification systems provided.
Contact details for Polygon Composites are provided for further inquiries or orders.
Catalog excerpts
103 Industrial Park DrIVE / P.O. Box 176 / Walkerton, IN 46574 USA / 800.918.9261 / Ph: 574.586.3145 / Fx: 574.586.7336 / polygoncompOSITES.com COMPOSITE BEARINGS & BUSHINGS POLYLUBEٮ > COMPOSITE MEDICALTUBING POLYMED > COMPOSITE CYLINDERTUBING POLYSLIDEή POLYSTRUCTURE > COMPOSITE SHAPES& FORMS POLYGON TUBE > ELECTRICAL GRADECOMPOSITE TUBING size="-3">
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POLYLUBE Design guide SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS HIGHLIGHTS INTRODUCTION3-9 > Polygons company history and product manufacturing divisions. PRODUCT INFORMATION10-29 POLYLUBE FIBER SERIES BEARINGS 10-12 > The ideal candidate for highly loaded bearing joints requiring low friction and low wear over 1.5 million cycles. POLYLUBE MRP AND MRP-SL BEARINGS13-14 > A superb bearing material for agriculture, construction and material handling applications requiring goodload capacity, low frictional values, and superior wear characteristics. POLYLUBE GLASS TAPE BEARINGS15-19 > An excellent solution...
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS Founded in 1949 by a chemist work-ing on advanced composite materialsduring World War II at the U.S. Wright-Patterson Air Force base, Polygon Com-pany has grown into an engineered materials company with multiple manufacturing facilities and global distribu- tion and sales offices around the world. Polygons original patents on composite self-lubricating bearings in the mid 1960Ғs stand as a hallmark in the devel- opment of journal bearing technology. Since that time, Polygons ongoing research and develop- ment activities have resulted in multiple patents on innovative...
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS Polygons line of PolyLubeҙ bearingsuses a fiberglass filament wound structure which incorporates a propri- etary epoxy resin matrix that results in a very high strength bearing that is naturally concentric with no seam or overlap. This high strength laminate construction allows for the use of a thin wall (1/16" to 1/8") bearing which reduces the size and weight of the assembly. The resulting compos- ite material exhibits a very low coeffi- cient of friction coupled with high load-bearing capacity. This high strength laminate construction allows for the use of...
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS In addition to the potential of failure if bearings are not properly lubricated, the total cost of owner-ship for a bearing that must be lubricated is greater than the total cost of a self-lubricating com- posite bearing. Most OEMs clients have found that the cost of purchasing, assembling, and maintaining a greased bearing joint is at a minimum 1.5 times to a maximum of 4 times the cost of a self-lubricating bearing joint. Equipment rental yards are becoming increasingly sensitive to the liability associated with greased bearings.At the most simple level, external...
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS ?Sizing predictability. Due to the fact that these bearings are manufactured via injection molding, sizing can be difficult to predict.?Impact Fatigue. Even glass filled thermoplastic resins can only go so far with resistance to repeated impact.?Limited Self-Lubrication Capabilities. Lubrication for filled thermoplastics does not utilize as significant a percentage nor as effective a type of PTFE as do PolyLube bearing materials. As a result, the in-use coefficient of friction and break-in characteristics of each bearing material is different. Metal backed bearings...
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS PTFE WITH WEARRESISTANT MATERIALWEAVE HIGH STRENGTHCOMPOSITE FIBERGLASSEPOXY BACKINGWEAR RESISTANT DEBRISLAYS IN VOIDS EXPOSED PTFEREDUCES FRICTION
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BREAK-INMATERIALTOP OFRESINFLAKESTOP OFWEAVE PTFE WEAVEFIBERGLASS BACKING PTFE WEAVE FIBERGLASS BACKING > Before Film Transfer Process After Film Transfer ProcessPTFE Film
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS ★ 4140 Nitrided Shafts STATIC COFDYNAMIC COF 0.300.35 > COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION 0.000.050.100.150.200.25 MRP 13 RaMRP 13 RaMRP 65 RaMRP-SL 65 RaMRP-SL 13 Ra MRP-SL 13 Ra >
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS The PolyLube Glass Tape bearing is a moderate RPM bearing designed for applications with highersurface velocities or when mixed film conditions are desired.Similar to the Fiber Series bearing, the Glass Tape bearing is manufactured by a filament windingprocess that results in a continuous fiberglass filament backing composition-ensuring excellent mechanical properties (especially fatigue resistance) are attained. The filament wound fiberglass structure uses a high strength, corrosion resistant epoxy resin as the matrix material. The high strength backing permits...
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS AVG. COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION 0.000.050.100.150.200.25 Metal BackedBearing Legacy EraFW Bearing PolyLube Fiber Bearing PolyLube Bronze Tape Bearing PolyLube GlassTape Bearing > P=200 psi (constant) > AVERAGE PV LIMIT 0.0020,00040,00060,00080,000 Metal BackedBearing Legacy EraFW Bearing PolyLube Fiber Bearing PolyLube Bronze Tape Bearing PolyLube GlassTape Bearing >
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS This bearings operating temperature range is ұ325F. Maximum continuous operational surfacetemperature for the standard formulation is 325аF, depending upon load characteristics. The bear- ing has been heat stabilized at these temperatures, so that little dimensional change will occur in the bearing during operation. In a free state, the coefficient of expansion of the PolyLube Glass Tape bearing is approximately 7 x 10-6 in/in/F, similar to the coefficient of expansion for steel, and actually less than some metals. > Ultimate Compression Strength (PSI)60,000Unit...
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SELF-LUBRICATED COMPOSITE BEARINGS The surface finish of the shaft relates directly tothe coefficient of friction at the interface between the shaft and the bearing. Polygon recommends a shaft with a surface finish between 16 and 32 Ra. In applications where stick-slip is especially sen- sitive, a shaft with a surface finish approaching 16 Ra should be used. This will be extremely im- portant when the Fiber liner is used with pres- sures less than 6,000 psi. The reduced surface finish relates to the depth the peaks on the sur- face of the shaft embed into the bearing liner. A rougher surface...
Open the catalog to page 19All POLYGON catalogs and technical brochures
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- Piping
- Semi-rigid tube
- Smooth piping
- Plain bearing
- Cylindrical plain bearing
- Self-lubricating plain bearing
- Compressed air tube
- Standard pipe
- Hydraulic pipe
- Pipe for the food industry
- Smooth pipe
- Composite plain bearing
- Construction pipe
- Maintenance-free plain bearing
- Radial plain bearing
- Linear plain bearing
- Composite material pipe
- Marine tube
- Insulating pipe
- Insulated pipe