Thordon Bearings Inc., a world leader in grease and
oil-free bearing solutions has announced the introduction of Thor-Coat,
a new propriety shaft coating specially formulated to address the
recognized risk of traditional coating failures on water lubricated
propeller shafts.
Thor-Coat was specifically developed to
complement Thordon's COMPAC water lubricated propeller shaft bearing
system with the objective of providing corrosion protection fro a
minimum 10-year period in service. Thor-Coat addresses the issue of
current shaft coating systems not being sufficiently reliable to allow
extension of shaft withdrawal periods beyond five years. Thordon is also
working closely with the Classification Societies to develop approval
for other techniques, such as borescoping, that facilitate inspection of
the bearings and coating without withdrawing the shaft.
A toughend, 2-part epoxy coating, Thor-Coat
is up to nine times more flexible than existing products currently
approved for use as propeller shaft coatings. Thor-Coat was subjected to
the full-scale 180° bend test and did not crack whereas all other
products tested showed initial cracking at a much lower bend angle. In a
propeller shaft application, or in other similar applications where a
coating must be durable, yet flexible, Thor-Coat's enhanced elasticity
and toughness will provide corrosion protection over longer service
periods. Easily applied on a rotating lathe to a thickness of 2mm,
application is straightforward, as Thor-Coat is a one-coat product.
