Underwater Bearing Contract Signed

Maritex bearings was recently awarded the contract to supply composite bearings for use in a critical heavy lift operation, that would be carried out at sea in water depths of greater than 300m. A quote from the contractors 'The bearings were compact, strong, had very high load bearing qualities'.

A rig platform weighing 680 tonnes would be lifted at sea onto supports from a barge by one crane using a double pulley fall block.
The pulleys in this block would be supported on two bearings.

The requirement that they would support the load and allow the pulleys to move freely ensured the safe and successful positioning of a platform valued at US $130m, with a total project cost of US $162m.

Any failure of the bearings to perform smoothly without distortion could have resulted in the loss of the platform.

The bearing material used was a modified Maritex 1810, this had been tested to a static load of 1250 tonnes equivalent, before production of the actual bearings went ahead.

Maritex is a fibre re-inforced resin composite that has now proven itself in the most demanding of applications.Versions of this bearing material are suitable for dry water and oil lubrication and can be manufactured in a wide range of sizes and designs.

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