GGB tribological solutions move the industrial world one step closer to the future. Our products are used in tens of thousands of critical applications every day—around the planet. Our goal is to provide reliable, maintenance-free surface solutions for almost any application—no matter where those demands take our products.
GGB's diverse polymer coating solutions encompass some of the most state-of-the-art coating technologies available. Our TriboShield® product line includes seven standard formulations that cover the full spectrum of mechanical, thermal and chemical capabilities offered by today's coating materials. They can also be applied to nearly any surface, regardless of shape or material, making their potential almost endless. And when it comes to working with and enhancing the performance of your existing bearing and polymer coatings solutions, our TriboMate product line is specifically designed to be paired up— all leading to enhanced performance.
The excellent low friction and high wear resistance performance of GGB metal-polymer bearings make them ideal for hundreds of applications in numerous and diverse industries. Depending upon application requirements, metal-polymer composite bearings can be produced in many shapes and sizes.
GGB's Engineered Plastic Polymer bearings provide excellent wear resistance and low friction in both dry and lubricated operating conditions over a wide range of applications. Engineered plastic bearings are made from thermoplastic bearing material processed by injection moulding. This production method enables us to produce unlimited dimensions in accordance to our standard, and also parts with special designs and features.
GGB's Fiber Reinforced Composite products typically consists of a filament-wound, fiberglass-impregnated, epoxy backing with a variety of low-friction wear-resistant bearing linings. These self-lubricating fiber reinforced composite bearings are particularly effective in applications where the relative motion is not sufficient to promote circulation of the oil or grease used with more conventional bearings. GGB Fiber Reinforced Composite bearings are available as bushes, plates, bearing segments and special forms, depending on the particular material type.
Bimetal and metal bearings offer excellent corrosion resistance in industrial outdoor applications and in water, marine and offshore environments. GGB offers a broad range of sizes, forms and materials in monometallic and bimetallic bearings.
Engineered as a solution to conquer misalignment reduction when high demands are placed on bearings, GGB's UNI, MINI and EXALIGN® self-aligning shaft bearing assemblies offer improved equipment performance under standard bearing assemblies by reducing stress and friction. Offering superior performance in a wide variety of applications, GGB's self-aligning assemblies are available in both standard and custom configurations.
GGB has been putting the world in motion for over 120 years with industry-leading tribological bearings, coatings and assemblies. From Polymer Coatings and Metal-Polymer bearings to Fiber Reinforced Composite bearings and self-aligning shaft bearing assemblies, our solutions are specifically designed to reduce friction and optimize performance and durability.
Tribology is the science of wear, friction and lubrication, and encompasses how interacting surfaces and other tribo-elements behave in relative motion in natural and artificial systems. This includes bearing design and lubrication.
GGB’s TriboU is intended to provide the working engineer, who may or may not be a user of GGB’s surface engineered solutions, to understand and implement basic tribological concepts in the design, manufacture and use of industrial equipment.
At GGB, we aren’t afraid to take risks for our customers. We are passionate about the work we do and believe that same passion contributes to the level of innovation that can enhance human potential. We take pride in working closely with customers in the early stage of a design to think broadly and boldly, and to expand beyond traditional surface engineered solutions. We offer reliable partnerships based on trust, compassion, determination, collaboration and respect.
GGB seeks out collaborative, long-term relationships with each one of our customers. Our diverse expertise gives us a deep understanding of the challenges you face. When you partner with us early, our GGB engineering team is able to review your assemblies and make sure both the bearing and surrounding components are optimized for performance and cost-effectiveness.
Critical components of hydropower plants, such as turbines and gates, depend on bearings to properly function. From GGB’s interactions with multiple plant owners, we know that maintaining operations with reduced interruptions, reducing operating costs, and preventing environmental contamination are top priorities of the industry.
Bearings play a great role in ensuring these goals are met with bearing reliability being especially paramount. Traditionally, greased bronze bearings have been used in hydropower applications due to their historical success and the industry’s familiarity with them. Despite this, it is known that greased bearings increase the risk of turbine failure if not properly maintained, amount to extra annual costs through grease/lubricant purchases, consume personnel time for maintenance, and pose the risk of environmental contamination.
In fact, 15% of rotor, wicket gate, and turbine failure is attributed to issues with lubrication while another 7% is attributed to bearing wear. Another 8% is attributed to both lubrication and wear related issues. As shown, bearing choice has a significantly impact on the operation of hydropower plants.
Bearing failure is a costly event for hydropower plants that can require up to 3 months of downtime for replacement – a loss in revenue of almost $4 million for a 30 MW plant. Improper maintenance of traditional bronze bearings, such as missing a single grease injection or applying an insufficient amount of lubricant, increases the possibility of bearing failure.
In addition to increasing this risk of failure, the cost of greasing bearings adds up annually. Regular bearing lubrication is a time consuming process for mechanical technicians, generally requiring two hours of a technician’s day to maintain greasing equipment. Between personnel time and grease usage, over $8,100 per technician is spent annually to ensure uninterrupted plant operation with lubricated metal bearings!
Furthermore, if grease or oil is leaked into the environment a plant could face cleanup costs of around $120 per gallon – this not including the costs of other fines.
PTFE-containing composite bearings provide superior low-friction performance in hydropower applications. These bearings also have a greater tolerance for misalignment as well as lower stick-slip than traditional bronze bearings, lowering the risk of improper operation. The low-friction performance of these bearings also results in substantially longer bearing life than greased bearings, leading to longer plant runtimes between bearing refurbishments.
In addition to their performance benefits, composite bearings require no regular maintenance, lowering annual operating costs. Removing the need for grease also eliminates the possibility of environmental contamination, saving a plant from the possibility of potential fines and cleanup costs. Below is one example of how GGB’s global team of engineering experts helped a customer receive these benefits by designing a custom fiber reinforced composite (FRC) bearing for their hydropower application.
In 2016, GGB was approached by Dongfang Electric Company for a tight tolerance bearing solution for their pump storage facility located in JiXi, Anhui province, China.
While tight tolerances are becoming the norm across the industry, this facility in particular required bearings with an allowance for eccentric machining of the bearings’ bore after installation to meet a yet to be determined offset.
To deliver an appropriate bearing, GGB’s cross functional team of engineers ran an extensive machining study to investigate which fiber matrix would provide the best machining response while not compromising on tribological performance.
Ultimately, it was found that HPMB® high precision fiber reinforced composite bearing with a thick, machinable tribological layer, best fit the needs of the facility.
Fiber reinforced composite bearings are no longer a commodity.
Having successfully proved themselves in the hydropower industry over the past 20 years, they are the successor of greased bronze bearings.
GGB FRC bearings, including HPM, HPMB®, and HPF® filament wound bearings, are especially suitable for hydropower applications with liners specifically designed to minimize stick slip and reduce friction.
Top OEMs such as Voith and GE choose GGB fiber reinforced composite bearings due to how they tolerate misalignments and handle edge load better than bronze bearings.
Additionally, GGB fiber reinforced bearings have been tested by the US Corps of Engineers to have a life expectancy of over 30 years.
All in all, GGB hydropower bearings reduce plant operation interruptions, eliminate the need for grease or oil lubricants, and reduce costs through their maintenance free design. With our hydro bearings being used in hydropower plants globally from Xiangjiaba in China to Belo Monte in Brazil, GGB has the plain bearing solution for any hydropower application.
To learn more, watch the video of GGB's presentation on composite bearings for hydropower industry made at the 2017 HYDRO International Conference.
Our experts are ready to help you find the right solution for your specific application.