MCAM Announces NEW Yaw Slide Bearing Material- Ertalyte? SLP Blue PET-P

The company’s focus in wind for Renewable Energy, trends towards larger offshore turbines to change the yaw systems from roller bearings into cost effective slide bearings. Although current materials like Ertalyte? Natural PET-P performs well in these applications today, there is an ongoing need to find materials with longer life to reduce maintenance costs.

Ertalyte? SLP Blue PET-P parts in the Yaw Slide Bearing System demonstrate the advanced properties that deliver key performances for: Low wear, Friction Coefficient, High load and Low temperature capabilities. Through Functional Testing, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials has taken the lead in developing improved features, testing them not only for standard properties, but also in industry relevant functional conditions.

Ertalyte? PET-P Natural is a thermoplastic polyester based on polyethylene terephthalate. This grade offers excellent wear resistance, low coefficient of friction and high strength. It is also more rigid and provides better thermal performance than nylon or acetal.

Wear rates were tested in both greased and ungreased conditions where in both cases, Ertalyte? SLP Blue PET-P demonstrated 2-3 times lower wear than competitive materials. This makes Ertalyte? SLP Blue PET-P the most wear resistant PET-P that we have evaluated. Friction results were also tested in both greased and ungreased states, where Ertalyte? SLP Blue PET-P showed the same friction results as the current Ertalyte? PET-P Natural offering, but with a lower deviation, therefore delivering a more consistent performance.

Michiel de Schipper, MCAM’s Global Market Segment Manager for Renewable Energy says, “We have never measured wear rates as low as this, which is very exciting for our team! This new material has exceptional combination of extremely low wear, combined with medium friction and high stiffness, making it perfect for yawing applications. Our Research and Development group is thrilled to be able to offer such a beneficial solution to the market and our customers- existing and potential.”

Load capabilities were also evaluated, through varying the slide bearing restrained sides and heights. Ertalyte? SLP Blue PET-P delivered load results of 110-120 MPa in case of 60% retained height, and up to >250 MPa in case of 80% retained height. Low Temperature conditions were also evaluated to -60°C. The performance was found consistent as the temperature decreases to the level of current Ertalyte? PET-P Natural and Ertalyte? TX PET-P capabilities.

Ertalyte? TX is an internally lubricated thermoplastic polyester that provides excellent wear and friction through a uniform distribution of solid lubricant throughout the product, outperforming unmodified polyesters. Ertalyte? TX performs exceptionally well under high-pressure and high-velocity conditions.

In summary: Because of combining the best properties of our current Ertalyte? PET-P Natural & Ertalyte? TX PET-P, the newly formulated Ertalyte? SLP Blue PET-P has been engineered directly for the Yaw Slide Pads in Wind Turbine Systems. Benefits: High reliability of the yawing system, due to extensive proven performance and data, Cost savings up to 20% versus roller bearing concepts, and Cost savings through longer time between service intervals