Proven for 75 years: plain bearings from Schaeffler

Schaeffler plain bearings are celebrating their 75th anniversary in August 2020 (here from left to right: ELGOTEX plain bush, metal-polymer composite plain bush, spherical plain bearings with ELGOGLIDE, maintenance-free rod end, rod end requiring maintenance).

Schaeffler is the technology leader in plain bearings and can look back on decades of development and consulting experience
Broad and proven portfolio of standard and special designs for a wide variety of applications
Plain bearings with ELGOGLIDE fabric enable cost advantages and environmentally friendly constructions thanks to the freedom from maintenance

Schaeffler plain bearings are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year: On August 1, 1945, Helmut Elges founded “Mechanische Werkst?tten Helmut Elges GmbH” in Bielefeld, which specialized in spherical plain bearings and plain bushings from an early stage. Many products that are standard on the market today, as well as valid slide bearing standards, were developed here. Since 1984 the companies INA and FAG, which at that time were still operating separately on the market, have been equal partners in Helmut Elges GmbH, which was fully integrated into the Schaeffler Group in 2002. The ELGES product brand was replaced in 2017 and Schaeffler plain bearings have since been offered on the market under the INA brand.

“Plain bearings are an indispensable part of our broad portfolio. A wide variety of applications only function safely and stably thanks to their use. We support our customers early on in the design process in order to generate added value for each bearing point, ”says Marcus Eisenhuth, Head of Industry Europe at Schaeffler.

Broad and proven portfolio - everything from a single source

For many years, Schaeffler has been one of the technology leaders for plain bearings with its extensive and sophisticated product range: The range includes spherical plain bearings with an inside diameter of up to 1,500 millimeters, guide bushings and rod ends with an inside diameter of up to 200 millimeters, as well as customer-specific solutions.

In the 1960s, Schaeffler achieved two important developments: The design of sealed spherical plain bearings brought about the breakthrough in the construction machinery and commercial vehicle industries. And the development of the ELGOGLIDE PTFE fabric made spherical plain bearings maintenance-free. In addition, ELGOGLIDE offers special damping properties that withstand high static shock loads and also changing loads.

Continuous further development allowed the plain bearings to be used in ever new areas of application. In particular, the possibility of freedom from maintenance allows the user environmentally friendly designs and a reduction in construction and operating costs by minimizing the size and eliminating the need for maintenance.

Security and stability - not just for buildings

Hydraulic cylinders for moving construction machinery, grinding rollers in cement mills, continuous casting systems in steelworks, drives for rotor blade adjustment on wind turbines, pendulum articulations for optimum steerability in single drum rollers, train doors and bogies, escalators and baggage belts at airports - they all need plain bearings.

In buildings, slide bearings are used at particularly sensitive interfaces, such as in the glass roof of Berlin Central Station. The roof structure spans around 300 meters of the platform. Countless spherical bearings and bolt systems from Schaeffler are installed in the lattice girders. Under the influence of external influences, in particular wind, they ensure the necessary length compensation of the steel structure.

The weight of the roof structure of the Wembley Stadium rests on only two bearings: the bearings each carry 7,500 tons and are designed for a service life of 100 years.

In 2016, the Osman Gazi Bridge in Turkey went into operation. Schaeffler supplied 109 spherical plain bearings and 72 bushings for the points where individual bridge sections and bridge cables are connected to the foundation. The area in the south of Istanbul is particularly prone to earthquakes. The suspension bridge is designed accordingly to continuously compensate for possible vibrations, movements and loads.

The London Eye Ferris wheel was swiveled from its horizontal mounting position across the Thames to its vertical working position with the help of two large spherical plain bearings from Schaeffler - with a surface pressure of up to 450 N / mm2. In operation, the bearings have been balancing out the micro-movements caused by the wind for over 20 years.

In 2019, Schaeffler manufactured the largest spherical plain bearing in the company's history to date, with an outer diameter of 1,900 millimeters and a weight of 4.7 tons. It is used in a cutter head excavator, a work ship that removes solid material from the bottom of the water and transports it to land. A bearing designed for the application was designed on the basis of the specific requirements.