Ideal for high loads with precision clearances in dirty or wet conditions.

Developed to solve wear problems in unlubricated and dirty applications, Vesconite Hilube is a premium long life, low maintenance plain bearing material, which also gives outstanding performance when lubricated.

Vesconite Hilube is compounded from an advanced engineering thermoplastic incorporating a PTFE internal lubricant.

It has a very low dynamic friction (approaching that of PTFE) and an even lower static friction. The low static friction means no stick-slip problems in applications with intermittent motion.

When relatively high loads and sliding speeds apply, Vesconite Hilube has outperformed all expectations. With very low friction, it is a major advance, offering long wear life. It shows exceptionally low wear rates when lubricated, whether this occurs at fitting only or regularly.

Vesconite Hilube overcomes the limitations of metallic bearing materials and conventional engineering plastics. Vesconite Hilube combines a load bearing capacity higher than white metal (babbitt) with more than ten times the wear life of bronze in poorly lubricated or dirty conditions. Its self lubricating properties are far superior to nylon. But unlike nylon based products, Vesconite Hilube does not swell in water or in humid conditions.

Proven in numerous industrial trials, Vesconite Hilube is ideal for carrying high loads with precision clearances. Insensitive to lubrication lapses, dirty, wet or corrosive conditions, it is the user-friendly bearing material for the future.

Extended wear life is crucial. In the 1960s nylon was an improvement upon bronze in many plain bearing applications. In the 1970s Vesconite Standard was a development crucial to reducing maintenance. It proved a great advance on nylon and bronze, and improved upon white metal in many applications. Vesconite Hilube is the tribological breakthrough of the 1990s, with up to 5 times the wear life of Vesconite Standard. With little or no grease, it gives many times the wear life of metal bushes.

The dynamic and static unlubricated friction of Vesconite Hilube against steel goes as low as 0.08 - similar to glass and graphite filled PTFE and one third that of nylon.

The dynamic friction co-efficient of Vesconite Hilube remains constant over long periods of operation, unlike many so-called low friction materials where the friction co-efficient starts off low but rises steadily. Vesconite Hilube's friction remains low even with a rise in temperature. It declines to its lowest at 60 ºC (140 ºF).

Vesconite Hilube shows very low creep rates under load and has high fatigue strength. The recommended maximum design load for static and intermittent motion is 30MPa (300kg/cm², 4250 psi), much higher that the design limits for white metal, nylon and glass filled PTFE.

The load carrying capacity of Vesconite Hilube is not affected by water or humidity. This is a major problem for nylons which soften in moist environments and lose up to two thirds of their strength. Moisture increases the wear rate of nylons and leads to creep when under load.

Vesconite Hilube has proved particularly superior in high load applications.

Vesconite Hilube when fully saturated with water - a process which takes many months - absorbs less than 0.5%. This leads to a linear swell of less than 0.07%, which in most applications can be ignored. In comparison nylons absorb moisture by as much as 9% of their mass, causing up to 3% swell and a critical loss of clearance - often leading to seizure.

Vesconite Hilube has a comparatively low coefficient of thermal expansion. The thermal expansion is one third less than nylon and acetal, and 2.5 times that of bronze.

When replacing metal parts, Vesconite Hilube requires only slightly more clearance. No allowance needs to be made for moisture changes. This is a critical advantage, as the most common reasons for the failure of polymer bearings are thermal expansion and water swell.

Vesconite Hilube may be used continuously at 100ºC (212ºF) in dry applications, and for short periods at higher temperatures. Load limits should be reduced to half when operating above 80ºC (176ºF). Consult an accredited Vesconite Hilube distributor for applications where temperatures may exceed 100ºC (212ºF).

The product of load and bearing surface speed - commonly called the PV limit (pressure x velocity) - is often given as a design guide. The PV limit of Vesconite Hilube is over four times that of nylon and twice that of Vesconite Standard. PV limits are usually determined in laboratories and are not always applicable to field applications.

Many factors affect PV limits, particularly lubrication, load and speed. For a given load, the bearing surface speed may be greatly increased with improved lubrication and cooling through circulation, as the index shows:

	PV Index
Dry - no lubrication	1
Greased on assembly	2
Periodic lubrication (oil, grease)	4
Circulating oil lubrication	8
Circulating water lubrication	40

Vesconite Hilube reduces the wear experienced by metal mating parts by over 90%. Mating part wear is a particular problem with metallic and nylon based bearings, especially when using unhardened metal shafts.

This valuable benefit alone justifies the changeover to Vesconite Hilube when dealing with expensive shafts.

Vesconite Hilube is resistant to organic solvents, petrol, oils and dilute acids. It has limited resistance to concentrated strong acids and alkalies. Lengthy immersion in boiling water should be avoided.

Back to top