New bearing solution keeps london dry
MRO Magazine
The flood control gates for the River Thames, which protect England's London district from flooding, have been equipped with special maintenance-free bearings that require no harmful lubricant that could damage the city's river envrionment.
The flood control gates for the River Thames, which protect England’s London district from flooding, have been equipped with special maintenance-free bearings that require no harmful lubricant that could damage the city’s river envrionment.
The gates are remotely operated, which called for a maintenance-free, “fit and forget” solution when the old bearings needed to be replaced. Trelleborg’s Orkot TXMM bearings were chosen, since they were considered to require the least maintenance.
The previous bearings were made of bronze and required manual operation and regular lubrication, resulting in extensive maintenance costs. These costs have now been eliminated, since the TXMM bearings are made of a composite material with extremely low friction and built-in lubrication. This provided a cost-efficient and environmentally compatible solution because no harmful lubricants would need to be used in the application.
The characteristics of the composite material also make the bearings highly stable, meaning that they can be left unused and unmonitored for months without their functionality being affected. For more information, visit www.trelleborg.com.
