Maintenance Free Bearings




Application:
The stinger rollers of the Solitaire, one of the world's largest pipe-lay vessels, were
originally fitted with grease lubricated roller bearings. However from day one there
were problems: seals failed, bearings broke, grease leaked and so on.
After a year in service it was decided that a new bearing design was needed for the
rollers of this US$400,000 a day vessel. Allseas invited a large number of bearing
manufacturers to present a proposal. DRIE-D's design was chosen and a number of
bearing materials were assessed on the Lorelay. D-glide by far showed the least
wear of all alternatives considered (other composites and self-lube metal bearings
like Oilless) and with the lowest friction.



Advantages of the D-Glide solution
- Fully maintenance free
- Incorporated seals
(prevents dirt intrudion in bearings)
- Very long bearing life
- No corrosion problems
(not metal, an electrical insulator)
- Low cost
- Simple design




Offshore pipe-lay vessel: Picture of the 90 metre long
stinger of this giant, state of the art, fully Dynamic
Positioned Pipe lay vessel.