Vesconite Bearings says that its casing wear rings are proving so popular that they are currently the company’s most important wear component for the pump industry.
The wear rings are made from the thermoplastic Vesconite Hilube, which is a low-friction, wear-resistant polymer that replaces traditional metals such as bronze, stainless steel and other thermopolymers. They are used to restrict the pressure leakage of the fluid between the inlet of the impeller and the pump casing in centrifugal pumps.
Some of the benefits of the casing wear rings are:
- They avoid metal-on-metal contact which can result in galling and unwanted pump vibration, as well as severe damage to the pump;
- They do not require pump redesigns because they can fit into the same housings used by metal wear rings and do not require mechanical fitment or glue;
- They can be easily machined from a variety of tube stock;
- They are impervious to salt-water corrosion and so can be used for sea water and reverse osmosis pumps where galvanic corrosion may destroy stainless steel wear rings;
- They resist cavitation, a problem often encountered with metal wear rings; and
- Vesconite Hilube is approved for drinking water applications including by NSF61 and WRAS.
