Vesconite Pump Bearing Design Manual
Vesconite Pump Bearing Design Manual
Vesconite Pump Bearing Design Manual
Vesconite Hilube
Pump Bearing
Design Manual
Long life
Low friction
No swell
www.vesconite.com
Contents
Page
Technical design
Size calculations and typical properties....................................14
Designing for dirty conditions....................................................16
Dry running of pumps................................................................16
Securing pump bearings............................................................17
Housings and shafts..................................................................18
Machining tolerances.................................................................19
Today VescoPlastics is a
supplier of low friction, long
life, low wear bearing
materials, supplied to many
industries in over 90
countries worldwide.
Industries include pumps,
railways, mining, heavy
transport, earthmoving and
marine.
VescoPlastics consists of a
dedicated manufacturing
plant including extrusion and
injection moulding facilities
as well as a well equipped
machine shop experienced in
machining Vesconite to
finished bearing sizes and
tolerances. Manufacturing
processes are controlled by
strict quality standards that
ensure products that are
consistent in properties
and size. The company is
ISO 9001:2000 certified.
VescoPlastics has many
years experience of bearing
applications in many critical
industries and is able to
advise customers on specific
application requirements.
What is Vesconite?
Vesconite and Vesconite
Hilube are specialized plain
bearing materials made from
internally lubricated low
friction polymers.
Vesconite
low friction, long life, well proven
The internally lubricated long life bearing material
that has been proven in thousands of critical
applications. Originally developed to overcome
bearing problems caused by water swell of
traditional non-metallic bearing materials.
Vesconite is ideal for water lubricated bearings.
Vesconite Hilube
lowest friction, longest wear life, lowest
shaft wear
The advanced grade of Vesconite with a lower
friction, lower wear rate and a greater ability to
run dry.
Vesconite Hilube has the same dimensional
stability, mechanical properties and chemical
resistance as Vesconite.
Vesconite Hilube is an ideal bearing material for
pump bearings that may experience dry running
or in dirty water.
Hitemp 150
high temperature, abrasion resistant
A low wear bearing material specially formulated for higher
temperature resistance, Hitemp 150 can run at elevated
temperatures up to 150C (300F).
Hitemp 150 also has exceptional abrasion resistance
and is well suited to pump applications of media with
suspended dirt particles.
Hitemp 150 may be the material of choice when
corroded or rough shafts cannot be avoided or in
highly silted pump applications where clean water
lubrication cannot be provided.
Vertical spindle
turbine pumps
Vertical spindle
sump pumps
Wear rings
Close running clearances improve pump efficiency
Centrifugal pumps
Support bearings
Low wear rate
Closer clearances give a stable shaft and lower seal wear
Lantern rings
Low friction gives ability to survive temporary suspension of
lubrication water
Good dimensional stability allows for closely defined
clearances to regulate water flow
Elastomers
Elastomers lack dimensional stability - they absorb water and have a high
thermal expansion. Larger clearances must be used resulting in more
unstable shafts and a reduction of the allowable wear life.
Vesconite does not swell in water and has a higher load capacity
than elastomers. No stress relief during machining.
Rubber
Rubber bearings have high friction and exhibit
stick-slip. This results in high shaft wear and shaft
vibration.
Rubber must be lubricated and swells in water.
Vesconite bearings carry a higher load than rubber
and the low friction gives a low shaft wear and no
stick-slip.
Vesconite is easily machined to accommodate
variable shaft and housing sizes.
3
dry
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Self lubricating
Low friction
Pump bearings often need to withstand dry running for short intervals, for
example at start up or if the pump inlet becomes blocked. Vesconite and
Vesconite Hilubes internal lubricants give them a very low friction even
when lubrication is not present.
Vesconite survives dry run conditions without damaging the bearing.
Many bearing materials operate well under well lubricated situations, but
fail when lubrication is not present.
No water swell
Vesconite does not swell or soften
in water, whereas most synthetic
materials swell in water. Vesconite
bearings can be machined
accurately to size and maintain
these sizes even when immersed.
To compensate for the water swell
and to avoid the risk of seizures,
excessive clearances are used.
With Vesconite, close clearances
can be maintained, reducing
vibration and shaft run out. Large
clearances should be avoided
because:
Bearing wear rate increases
Bearing life is shortened
Shaft vibration increases,
making the shaft less
stable.
0.5 to 2.0%
Nylon
3.0%
EU Approv
ed
Environmentally friendly
Environmental problems caused by
oil or grease lubrication can be
avoided. This means simpler pump
design and operation, with great
cost savings.
The good chemical resistance of
Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube
means that a large range of pumped
media can be used to lubricate the
bearings.
High compression
strength
Vesconite keeps its strength
even when wet and does not
creep under high loads.
Loads on Vesconite bearings
do not result in compression
deformation or compression
set. This means that the shaft
is more stable.
High load capacity Vesconite
bearings offer better load
capacity than many
traditional rubber or
elastomer bearings.
Dry
Wet
Dry
60
50
40
30
Wet
20
Dry
Dry
Wet
10
Wet
0
Vesconite
Nylon
Elastomer
Rubber
Easy to machine
Vesconite can be easily machined
on standard metalworking
equipment.
Vesconite does not creep, deform
or swell and machines easily to
desired tolerances.
No delamination
Delamination is the peeling off of layers of a laminated bearing
material. This often happens in immersed conditions where
water or liquid penetrates the exposed micro-channels that are
formed by the cloth reinforcing material.
Swelling occurs along the micro channel surfaces causing
stresses between the layers of the laminate, resulting in the
layers peeling off.
Vesconite is a homogeneous material with no lamination
reinforcement and so does not delaminate.
Resistant to chemicals
In addition to its excellent performance in water, Vesconite and
Vesconite Hilube are resistant to a wide range of chemicals including
acids, organic chemicals, solvents, hydrocarbons, oils and fuels.
Page 20 gives a detailed chemical resistance chart.
Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube bearings can therefore be lubricated
by a range of pumped media. Mixtures of water, oils and fuels do not
damage Vesconite bearings.
Vesconite and
Vesconite Hilube
fitted to your pump
Vertical spindle,
axial flow, mixed
flow, turbine and
propellor pumps
These pumps are generally used
to pump high volumes of water
at low pressure heads, often in
critical applications or as
emergency standby pumps
where reliability and long life are
important. Maintenance on
these pumps can be difficult
and expensive.
Examples include:
Power station cooling water
pumps
High volume fire fighting
pumps
Top up water pumps
Submersible bore hole
pumps
Waste water pumps
River abstraction pumps
Stuffing Box
Lineshaft
Wear Ring
Vertical spindle
sump pumps
Sump pumps can be used to
pump a variety of fluids
including clear water, hot
liquids, chemically aggressive
fluids and dirty and abrasive
liquids with high concentrations
of particles or fibres.
Examples include:
Sump drainage pumps
Vertical cantilever slurry
pumps
Wear rings
Vesconite wear rings can be designed with
closer running clearances improving the pump
efficiency due to a lower bypass.
10
Centrifugal pumps
Examples include:
Multistage mining pumps
Process pumps
Slurry pumps
In line process pumps
Split case pumps
Some specific applications
include:
Vertical in line
pumps
Support
bearings
Impeller and
casing wear
rings
Support bearings
Vesconite bearings can be designed with close running
clearances reducing shaft vibration and improving external
bearing life.
Vesconite long life bearings ensure that expensive removal and
repair of pumps is limited.
Support bearings can be grooved bearings when there is a
water flow through the bearing. Bearings may not require
grooves where the bearing is immersed in the pumped medium
and does not require much cooling.
Lantern rings
Lantern rings are used as part of a shaft sealing system to
evenly distribute water around the pump shaft and are used
especially in slurry pumps.
The dimensional stability of Vesconite allows for stable running
clearances so that a desired water flow rate may be achieved.
Due to their low friction, Vesconite rings can survive even when
the water supply is temporarily suspended.
11
Archimedes screws
Water lubricated end support and intermediate
bearings
Flushed Vesconite bearings perform well even in harsh
chemical or dirty environments. Vesconites high loading
capacity coupled with low friction gives low wear rate bearings.
Vesconite can be flushed with water rather than lubricated with
environmentally polluting oils and greases.
Bearings are usually grooved to ensure an adequate flow of
water through the bearing.
Gear pumps
Pump bodies and gears
The dimensional stability,
good resistance to a variety
of chemicals and low wear
rate make Vesconite well
suited to pump bodies and
pump gears.
Support bearings
The low friction, long life
properties of Vesconite give a
long life for support bearings.
The low friction of Vesconite
Hilube allows successful
operation even when running
dry for a short time.
12
Other immersed
applications
Aerators, thickeners, mixers, ship
stern tubes and rudders, hydroelectric
turbines and flow gates all benefit
from using Vesconite bearings.
Vesconite does not swell in water and
therefore can maintain close running
clearances without the danger of
seizure in many immersed
applications.
Vesconite has a very low wear
rate especially when lubricated
with water. This reduces
maintenance on many of
these difficult to maintain
applications.
Valves
Hydro Power
Wicket gate bearings
Turbine bearings
Marine
Rudder
Stern tube bearings
13
Design
Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube Size Calculations
The easiest way to dimension Vesconite bearings is to use the internet
online
calculators on www.vesconite.com.
Within seconds
gives the correct
interference fits, running clearances, groove sizing and
tolerances across a wide range of operating temperatures.
Design a Bearing
Design a Bearing
Interference
fits/
Press fits
The most common method for securing a Vesconite bearing. Calculated as:
Press fit = 0.05 + (0.002 x housing ) mm
Press fit = 0.002 + (0.002 x housing ) inches
Bore closure
Assembly
clearance
This is the difference in diameter between the bearing inside diameter and
the shaft after installation.
Assembly clearance = 0.05 + (0.02 x wall thickness) mm
Assembly clearance = 0.002 + (0.02 x wall thickness) inches
Calculation of
the bearing
dimensions
Metric
Imperial
30 MPa
4,250 psi
0.04%
0.04%
0.07%
0.07%
Immersed
65C
149F
100C
212F
6 x 10-5 mm/mm/C
1.38 g/ml
1.38
Modulus of elasticity
2.2 GPa
Guide maximum
operating temperature
14
Correct bearing design is essential to long life bearing operation. Different bearing
materials have different criteria for design.
Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube are superior bearing materials. However, if these
materials are designed incorrectly, premature bearing failure may occur.
Grooving of bearings
Many pump bearings require effective cooling of the bearing surface
because of the frictional heat generated by high rotational speeds.
Pump bearings often require cooling by either process fluids or
dedicated lubrication systems through correctly designed grooves.
Straight, axial or longitudinal grooves
Generally straight grooves are used for lineshaft bearings on vertical
turbine pumps. The pumped medium passes through the axial grooves
to provide a constantly refreshing cooling film.
It is important that these bearings are not greased as the grease may
block the channels. This will limit the water flow through the bearing,
possibly leading to overheating of the bearing.
Typical groove design
Shaft diameter
mm
inches
No. of
grooves
Size - mm
width depth
Size - inches
width
depth
20-30
1 1
2.5
0.25
0.1
1.0
31-50
1 2
0.30
0.125
2.0
51-80
2 3
0.30
0.125
12
3.0
81-120
3 5
10
3.5
0.40
0.15
18
4.5
121-160
5 7
12
0.50
0.20
24
6.0
161-200
7 8
10
12
0.50
0.20
30
8.0
Round grooves
UV or
square grooves
15
Wall thickness
It is generally recommended that
the wall thickness should be
between 5 - 20% of shaft diameter.
For thinner Vesconite bearings,
care is required when machining
and fitting to avoid cracking.
Bonding and mechanical securing
can be used to ensure that the
bearing is properly secured.
Lead in
chamfer
Interference
Bearing
outside
diameter
Interference fits
Using an interference fit is the easiest method to
secure a Vesconite bearing when the bearing
operates at temperatures up to 70C (160F).
Vesconite is a rigid material and may be easily
secured with an interference fit without the need
for additional methods.
Housing
diameter
Lead in
chamfer
Interference
Running
clearance
Bearing
outside
diameter
Bearing
inside
Wall
thickness diameter
Shaft
diameter
shaft
Fitting bearings
Diameter
mm
Chamfer @ 30
inches
mm
inches
10 20 1/2 1
mechanical or hydraulic presses. Care needs to be taken that
housing
the bearing is fitted square to the housing and is well supported,
20 50 11/2 2
preferably with a mandrel.
50 100 2 4
Housing
Running
lubrication
film
Lead in chamfers on the Vesconite bearing and the metal
100 250
4 10
diameter
clearance
housing ensure that the bearing will not be scored during
>250
> 10
installation.
0.5
0.02
bearing
shaft
Vesconite bearing
packed in a container
with dry ice.
0.04
Bearing
1.5
0.06
inside
Wall wall thickness
2
0.1
diameter
thickness
3
Lid
keeper plate
Vesconite
flanged bearing
bearing
bush
packed in a
Sha
diam
housing diameter
0.15
mandrel
edge well
chamfered
grub screw
Insulation
material
container
housing
supported by
wooden blocks
100-150 mm
(4-6) high.
lubrication film
Liquid
nitrogen up
to 50mm
deep
wall t
hous
30
keeper plate
edge well
chamfered
grub screw
(Note: Vesconite
must be pre-drilled)
17
BHN
Shaft materials
Metal mating surfaces must suit the
media and wear conditions
encountered. When operating in
sandy or abrasive conditions, hard
shaft surfaces ensure longer shaft
as well as bearing life.
Hardchrome plated surfaces are
ideal.
As a general rule, the harder the
shaft surface, the better the results
that will be achieved with Vesconite
bearings.
Shaft hardnesses of Rc > 50 are
ideal.
However, the hardness of a 316
stainless steel is usually acceptable.
Corrosion resistant stainless steels
and admiralty and gunmetal bronze
Machining tolerances
1000
Rockwell C
80
Vickers
900
60
500
500
Rockwell B
110
40
Best
Suited
300
200
100
200
100
100
20
Carbon steel
80
60
Bronze
Diameter in mm
10 - 18
18 - 30
30 - 50 50 - 80 80 - 120 120 - 180
Standard ISO machining
Housing H7 Upper
+0.018
+0.021
+0.025
+0.030
+0.035
+0.040
tolerances of H7 for metal
Lower
+0
+0
+0
+0
+0
+0
housings and h7 for shafts
Shaft
h7 Upper
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
are recommended for
Lower
-0.018
-0.021
-0.025
-0.030
-0.035
-0.040
Vesconite bearings.
Since synthetic materials
Housing / shaft diameter tolerances in inches
such as Vesconite and
Diameter in inches
0.4 - 0.7 0.7 - 1.2 1.2 - 2.0 2.0 - 3.15 3.15 - 4.72 4.72 - 7.1
Vesconite Hilube have a
Housing H7 Upper
+0.000 71 +0.000 83 +0.001 0 +0.001 2 +0.001 4 +0.001 6
wider tolerance specification,
Lower
+0
+0
+0
+0
+0
+0
metal mating surfaces
Shaft
h7 Upper
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
machined to closer
Lower
-0.000 71 -0.000 83 -0.001 0 -0.001 2 -0.001 4 -0.001 6
tolerances than this standard
are seldom required.
Surface finishes
of shafts
The surface
finish of the
shaft is
important to
ensure long
bearing life. Rough
surface finishes and
corroded and scored
shafts will cause accelerated
wear of Vesconite bearings
and should be avoided.
A recommended ground finish
of 0.5 m Ra (0.002 microinch
Ra) is ideal. Shaft roughness
18
N10
N9
+0.052
+0
+0
-0
-0
-0.046
-0.052
+0
-0
-0
-0.001 8
-0.002 1
N8
N7
N6
N5
N4
N3
N2
Milling
Boring, turning
Grinding
Polishing
Micron Ra
12.5
6.3
3.2
1.6
0.8
0.4
0.2
0.1
0.05
Microninch
500
250
125
63
32
16
Machining
Tolerances
0.1%
0.025
0.001
0.1%
0.025
0.001
+ 0.0 / -0.5%
+ 0.0 / -0.025
0.0 / -0.001
Length tolerance
+ 0.0 / -0.5%
+ 0.0 / -0.3
+ 0.0 / -0.01
Temperature Compensation
The bearing dimensions calculated above assume measurement of the
bearing at 20C (70F). If there is a large variance between the actual
machining and operating temperatures, the resulting difference in size
could result in incorrect bearing operation or premature failure.
Sizes need to be adjusted to the machining temperature to ensure that
they are the correct size at operational temperatures.
Cutting angles
< 50
50-100
100-150
150-200
200-250
250-300
300-400
400-500
Diameter inches
< 2"
2-4"
4-6"
6-8"
8-10"
10-12"
12-16"
16-20"
600-2000
500-600
450
350
240
240
160
120
RPM
Chemical
resistance chart
Resistant
Partly resistant
Non-resistant
Chemical Name
Acetic acid
100
Acetic anhydride
Acetone
Acetonitrile
Acetophenone
Acetyl chloride
Aluminium chloride
10
Aluminium sulphate
50
Ammonia
Conc
Ammonium hydroxide
10
Ammonium sulfate
50
AmyI acetate
AmyI alcohol
Aniline
Anti freeze
Aqua regia
ASTM Oils
Barium chloride
Barium salts
Benzaldehyde
Benzene
Benzyl alcohol
Benzyl chloride
Bleaching lye
Bleaching solution
Boric acid
Brake fluid
Bromine
Butane
Butanol
Butyl acetate
Butyl amine
Butyl chloride
Butyric acid
Calcium chloride
Calcium hypochlorite
Calypsol greases
Carbon disulphide
Carbon tetrachloride
Caster oil
Cellosolve
Chloride of lime
Chlorine (gas-dry)
Chlorine dioxide
Chlorine in water
Acetaldehyde
Chloroacetic acid
Acetic acid
Chlorobenzene
20
10
Chloroform
Chlorosulfonic acid
Chromic acid
40
Citric acid
10
Copper sulphate
Cottonseed oil
Cresol
Cyclohexane
Cyclohexanol
Cyclohexanone
Decalin
Detergents
25
Dibutyl phthalate
Diesel
Diethyl ether
Diethylene amine
Diethylene glycol
Dimethyl formamide
Dioctyl phthalate
Dioxane
Ethanol
Ether
Ethyl acetate
Ethyl alcohol
Ethyl chloride
Ethylene dichloride
Ethylene glycol
Ferric chloride
Fixer solution
Fluorine (gas)
Formaldehyde
Formic acid
10
Formic acid
90
Freon
Furfural
Gasoline
Glycerine
Glycerol
Glycol
Grease
Heptane
Hexane
High octane petrol
Hydrobromic acid
50
Hydrochloric acid
36
Chemical Name
Hydrofluoric acid
40
Hydrofluoric acid
50
Hydrogen peroxide
35
Hydrogen sulfide (gas)
Ink
lodoacetic acid
Isopropanol
Kerosene
Linseed oil
Lubricating oil
Magnesium chloride
Methanol
Methyl alcohol
Methyl ethyl ketone
Methyl glycol
Methylene chloride
Mineral oils
n-Hexane
Nickel chloride
Nitric acid
10
Nitric acid
40
Nitrobenzene
Octane
Oil of cloves
Oleic acid
100
Olive oil
Oxalic acid
Ozone (gas)
Paraffin
Perchloroethylene
Petrol
Phenol
Potassium bichromate
10
Potassium bromide
Potassium carbonate
Potassium chloride
10
Potassium dichromate
10
Potassium hydroxide
1
Potassium hydroxide
10
Potassium hydroxide
60
Potassium permanganate 25
Potassium sulphate
Propane
Propanol
PropyI alcohol
Chemical Name
Hydrochloric acid
100
Pyridine
Hydrofluoric acid
Rapeseed oil
Silicone fluids
Silver nitrate
Soap solutions
Sodium bicarbonate
10
Sodium borate
Sodium carbonate
20
Sodium chloride
25
Sodium hydroxide
Sodium hydroxide
10
Sodium hydroxide
60
Sodium hypochlorite
20
Sodium nitrate
10
Stannic chloride
Stearic acid
Sucrose
Sulfur dioxide (gas)
Sulfuric acid
10
Sulfuric acid
70
Sulfuric acid
96
Tea
Teterahydrofurane
Tetralin
Toluene
Transformer oil
Trichloroacetic acid
Trichloroethane
Trichloroethylene
TricresyI phosphate
Triethanol amine
Triethylene glycol
Turbo oil
Turpentine
Urea
Vaseline
Vegetable oils
Vinyl chloride
Water
Water (sea)
Wine
Xylene
Zinc chloride
Zinc sulfate
Stock availability
A large range of Vesconite
and Vesconite Hilube stock
shapes are available
worldwide for machining
pump bearings. Vesconite
and Vesconite Hilube can be
supplied as standard stock
shapes at short notice or as
final machined custom
components.
Tubes / bushings
Rods
Plates
Stocked in widths up to
600 mm (23) wide and
75 mm (3) thick. Ideal for
machining large diameter
wear rings.
Moulded parts
Pump bearings can be
injection moulded into
finished or semi-finished form
for cost effective solutions on
larger quantity requirements.
comprehensive information on
www.vesconite.com
Disclaimer
This design manual is based upon many years of
experience of VescoPlastics and VescoPlastics Sales
(the Companies) in manufacturing and designing
polymeric bearing materials.
Experience shows that no two applications are the
same in every detail so the Companies encourage
that every application be treated as individual and
unique.
21
Sump
Centrifugal
Impeller support
Shaft support
Wear ring
Lineshaft
Pump bowl
Stuffing box
Suction cover
Split case
Wear ring
Support bearing
In line
Submersible
Wear ring
Support bearing
Lantern ring
Wear ring
Support bearing
Lineshaft
Upthrust ring
Other (specify)
Pumped product
Water
Other (specify)
Bearing size
mm
Clean
Dirty (specify)
inches
Housing/casing diameter
Bearing length
Shaft/impeller diameter
Number of bearings
Operational conditions
Rotational speed (RPM)
Temperature range
Lubrication
Elastomer
Rubber
Cutlass
Other (specify)
Product
Water
Grease
Oil
None
Contact details
Company
Contact Name
Website www
Address
Country
Telephone + (
Fax + (
International
USA
Canada
UK
UAE
South Africa
Australia
New Zealand
Brazil
)
Telephone
Fax
+27 11 616 11 11
1 866 635 75 96
1 866 682 34 84
0800 731 97 45
800 027 01 03
(011) 616 11 11
+27 11 616 22 22
(212) 937 31 84
(416) 352 15 27
0207 681 34 44
0800 45 08 78
0800 891 87 16
(011) 616 22 22
+61 386 48 56 71
(11) 684 521 80
www.vesconite.com