Bearing Application Requirements
Given the tight constraints – regulatory, engineering, and cost-related – surrounding electrified train and streetcar projects, finding even minute ways to reduce weight can pay big dividends in the long run.
For example, a pantograph is a jointed framework that conveys current to a train or streetcar.
Plain bearings are employed in the hinge points of pantographs to ensure constant contact with electric lines, and GGB’s MLG self-lubricating fiber reinforced composite bearing offers a lightweight solution with myriad ancillary benefits.
GGB Railroad Bearing Solution
MLG is a value-engineered, filament-wound bearing for lighter-duty applications (like trains and streetcars) that still require the shock, misalignment, and chemical resistance of fiber-reinforced composite bearings.
MLG self-lubricating plain bearings have the same operating temperature range (-195°C to 160°C) as our high-end fiber-reinforced composite solutions, and feature similar low-friction and high-load capacity.
GGB Plain Bearings for Railway Applications - Benefits
Using MLG filament wound plain bearing for your pantograph offers the following benefits:
- Reduced application weight through lightweight, compact bearing design
- Electrical insulator stopping unwanted noise and static
- Good resistance to shock loads, shaft misalignment, and abrasion
- Lubricant free, low-friction operation
- Resistance to corrosive environments
- Reduced ownership cost through both maintenance-free operation and long-lasting bearing design
- Made in the USA