Long-wearing, maintenance-free bearing materials

1 High PerformanceFluoropolymerBearingsRULON Long-wearing, maintenance -freebearing materials Self-lubricating design Low coefficient of friction Temperature resistant Dimensionally stable in fluids Chemically resistant Flexible material design Low-weight/high-strength ratioSaint-Gobain Performance Plastics manufactures manydifferent grades of composite bearing materials with distinctproperties to accommodate a broad range of applicationsand industries. Our most popular grades are RULON LR,RULON J and RULON OverviewRULON materials Outperform MetalsRULON composites are ideal for non-lubricated, high-load applications in a varietyof climates and operating environments, exhibit a high load capacity similar tobronze, powdered metal and steel, and provide longer wear and extendedoperating life without the costs associated with lubrication. RULON materials alsodo not rust like metal components, so you can use them in environments wheretraditional metals corrode and fail.

2 You will find Saint-Gobain PerformancePlastics bearing materials in heavy-duty agricultural, automotive, construction,industrial, marine, railway, and material handling components are rigid enough to support heavy loads, yet compliantenough to tolerate moderate amounts of shaft misalignment without highlystressing the ends of the Fluoropolymers Outperform PolyamideAs a rule, polyamide is strictly limited to relatively light load applications andcannot compete with RULON or metal materials in high load bearings are not as dimensionally stable as RULON materials either,due to as much as 9% absorption. The near zero absorption rate of RULON materials means there is negligible swelling and degradation of properties. It alsoenables tighter running clearances which increase the available bearing area andreduce the ingress of foreign particles which can become embedded and abradethe shaft over Fluoropolymer BearingsSaint-Gobain is a worldwide groupwhose history spans more than threecenturies.

3 Created in 1665 in France,Saint-Gobain launched its firstindustrial Department with theproduction of mirrors, which adorn thefamous Hall of Mirrors at beyond French bordersbegan in the middle of the 19th international pioneer, Saint-Gobainestablished a glass factory in Germanyin 1857, another in Italy in 1889 and onein Belgium in 1904. The group movedtoward the New World in 1937 with theopening of a plant in DiversificationStrongly established in flat glassproduction, Saint-Gobain began lookingtoward other activities at the beginningof the 20th century. The companyentered the papermaking business in1925, and the insulation business in1936. The 1970 addition of the companyPont- -Mousson, the world leader incast iron pipes, reinforced Saint-Gobain s position in the the 1970 s and 80 s theSaint-Gobain Group continued topursue both internal and externalgrowth, which culminated with the1990 acquisition of Norton Company,one of the world s leading abrasivesand ceramics Performance Plastics in turnacquired Furon Company and createdthe new Saint-Gobain PerformancePlastics, combining decades ofexperience and leadership in metal-backed and polymer bearings Rulon trademark had beenacquired by Furon in the purchase ofDixon Industries Corporation, foundedin 1876 by Ezra Dixon.

4 Specializing inself-lubricating bearings for the thenemerging textile industry in thenortheastern United designProvides maintenance - free operation andeliminates the need for costly and messygreasing coefficient of frictionReduces wear and extends operating resistantOperates flawlessly in temperatures rangingfrom cryogenic levels to a high of 550 F (288 C) Dimensionally stable in fluids (water,Absorption rates are negligible, providing near corrosive liquids, and chemical solutions)zero swellChemically resistantCompatible with a wide range of lubricants material designSuitable for press fit, freeze fit, epoxy bonding,as well as conventional mechanical weightAccommodates light weight photo: RULON LRTable ofContentsOverview1 materials Selection Guide3 RULON LR, J & 641 Bearings Overview5 RULON LR Bearings7 RULON J Bearings9 RULON 641 Bearings11 Standard Sizing ChartsRULON LR, J & 641 Bearings13 RULON Standard Metric Bearings15 New Metric RULON Standard Bearings17 Application Inquiry Form202 RULON J3 Rulon GradesPerformance*Mating SurfaceSteel & Stainless SteelEnvironmentRelative Rating1=Low, 5=HighCommentsMaterials SelectionGuideRULON ,0007501,0001,0001,0001,0001,0001,2001,0 001,0001,0001,0001,0007501,000( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )400400400400400400400400400400400400400 400400( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )

5 10,0007,50010,00010,00010,00010,00010,00 010,00010,00010,0007,50010,0001,0007501, X X XX XX XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX X X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX X X XX X X XX XX XXXXXXXXXX XXX41122321 2241 113434 4 4 44 4 5 52 22 4 YESNONOYESYESYESYESYESYESNONOYESYESYESYE SLRJ641W2123488957 XLF1429451045133714101439 ColorMax Load "P" (psi)MPaMax Speed "V" (fpm)m/sMax "PV" (psi-fpm)(Mpa m/s)Rb 25 & higherRc 35 & higherPainted metaland porcelainAluminumFDA compliantSteamWetDryVacuumCoefficient of frictionCreep resistanceInsulative list above is only a partial list of available formulations of Rulon. P,V data may be exceeded based on specific application requirements. Ask to speak to a Saint-GobainPerformance Plastics Application Engineer. RATINGS above are relative within Rulon family ONLY. For Rulon materials , coefficient of friction decreases with increasing load,and wear decreases with increasing surface hardness.

6 For PTFE based materials , wear in steam and wet environments is higher than in dry environments. Saint-GobainPerformance Plastics offers enhanced Rulon grades which minimize this effect. Most Rulon products have excellent chemical compatability. Data available upon Standard Rulon bearing Creep and Abrasion resistanceLowest Coefficient of Friction ofRulon series. Excellent used in the food good operation in thermal and and dry abrasion friction/wear against coatedmetal or porcelain best Rulon againstaluminum tape liner materialfor Rulon composite used in machinetool guide low deformation underload, and high impact compliant; Excellentchemical standard material forcompressor piston flip standard material forcompressor piston flip for LR, J and 641 Bearings Design CriteriaIn choosing the appropriate RULON bearing , the critical parameters of theapplication must first be load, speed, PV, environment,mating surface, duty cycle, etc.

7 , all playan integral part in this choice. The moreimportant criteria are described here,and their values are listed in the" material Selection Guide" . bearing PressureBearing pressure is measured in poundsper square inch (psi). It is calculated bydistributing the total load in poundsthat the bearing is carrying by theprojected area ( x length in inches) ofthe bearing . This gives the averagepressure, psi, that the bearing mustsupport. Elevated temperatures reduceload capacity; lower temperaturesgenerally increase static load SpeedBearing speed is determined by firstcalculating the circumference of theshaft in feet, then multiplying by theRPM of the shaft. This gives the slidingor surface velocity of the bearing insurface feet per minute (SFM).Lubrication or liquid cooling can extendthese limits PVThe third parameter is the product ofoperating pressure and surface velocity,defined as PV.

8 P x V = PV. It is, in effect, ameasure of the work the bearing isdoing. While it is not the final answer, PVis an invaluable general guide inmatching bearing to ConsiderationsShaft hardness and finish:The variousRULON bearings are designed to operateagainst surfaces that have minimumhardness and finish requirements. Theseminimum values should be followedsince each bearing s published dynamicproperties and predicted wear rate arebased on this and wear:RULON bearingsutilize custom compounds of PTFE. LikePTFE, they exhibit very low friction atlow speeds, and low friction at highloads. These properties are diametricallyopposed to most other materials andgive RULON bearings their smoothstart/stop characteristics. They eliminatemost stick-slip LRRULON J6An OverviewWear rate:RULON bearings are self-lubricating because a small quantity ofRULON or PTFE material is transferred tothe mating surface during startup.

9 Afterinitial break-in, the wear rate levels phenomenon is why bearingfinishes in the 63 to 125 RMS can betolerated. Under recommendedconditions, long bearing life is , insufficient shafthardness, coarse shaft finish, corrosion,etc., accelerate wear because theshaft/ bearing cannot properly break-inunder these ConsiderationsRULON materials are capable ofoperating at PV values up toapproximately 10,000. Wear rates as afunction of time can be greatly affectedby the load and speed , higher PV values can be usedwhere necessary for intermittent orshort time duty. Lubricants or coolingfluids also permit higher PV values,primarily from speed, while generallydecreasing materials are generally limited to1,000 psi. However, actual deformationis a function of the wall thickness used,temperature and load. Thinning thematerial so that cold flow will beminimized can increase the load-bearingcapacity of most RULON the material will also increaseits load-carrying ability in some casesup to 5,000 psi.

10 For higher loads, pleasecontact our district sales manager sothat arrangements can be made todiscuss with an applications dry operation of RULON materialsis generally limited to 400 surface feetper minute, under low-load conditions,higher speeds are possible with lubricantsor liquid coolants. Silicone oils are notrecommended as they interfere with thenormal operation of RULON rapid decrease in friction can beobserved as load increases for mostRULON materials . Since start-up frictionis extremely low, stick-slip is virtuallyeliminated. This makes RULON materialsthe ideal choice for oscillating or start-stop applications. When fully lubricatedwith oil, RULON materials exhibit acoefficient of friction in the .05 - . 08 mrange typically obtained with lubricatedmetal bearings. In the event oflubrication failure, RULON materialsincrease time to catastrophic failure,allowing time to replace bearings orcomponents before significant damageoccurs to critical metal WEARWEAR RATIOSHAFT SURFACE FINISH RMS8163264125 (micro inches)97531 WEAR RATIO = WEAR FOR RMS 16 WEAR FOR 6 TO 16 RMSFIGURE H:TYPICAL WEAR BEHAVIORFOR RULON BEARINGSFIGURE I:WEAR FINISHRULON 6417 Rulon LR BearingsFor continuous, non-lubricated service,RULON LR sleeve bearings are capableof operating at PV values up toapproximately 10, Jshowswear rates as a function of time atvarious PV values.