The Steel Supply company carries many options when it comes to slide bearings, including: Fluorogold®, Teflon® (PTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene), Carbon Filled PTFE, and Graphite. 

Slide Bearing design and specifications fall into categories with the most common being FC-1010-CS, a 3/32” layer of Fluorogold® bonded to 1/8” thick carbon steel. An upper and lower member of FC-1010-CS are used to create the slide bearing, as shown in Fig. 1. This is the most common configuration and can function effectively in the following ranges:

Slide Bearings: Reduce Lead Time and Cost 

Modest adjustments to design can result in significant economic benefits.

Note: For purposes of this discussion Teflon® is trademarked by the DuPont Corporation, Fluorogold® is trademarked by Saint-Gobain.

We often see RFQ's and Purchase Orders for Teflon® or Fluorogold® Slide Bearing Assemblies where the configuration appears to be carried over from a previous project. Sometimes, without intending to, the plan as shown is overkill for the application at hand. In cases like this we usually give the customer the option of allowing The Steel Supply Company to engage the engineer, architect or designer to introduce alternatives. Below are some examples of common situations. As in all cases, whether they are Slide Bearings, Thermal Break Bearings or any other product line, we will only make suggestions. Changes in design should always be approved by the E.O.R.

In many of the requests we receive for Fluorogold® or Teflon® Slide Bearing Assemblies the fabricator is under the impression the specific dimensions they require will cut to size, then bonded together and finished. This can be done, but only starts to make economic sense when the requirements call for a large quantity of the same dimensions.

When designing a Teflon® or Fluorogold® Slide Bearing, one of the factors that sometimes gets overlooked is the maximum operating temperature the bearing assembly will function at. Standard Structural Steel expansion type joints don’t develop the heat required for temperature to be a concern, but many specialized applications do. Steam Lines, Furnaces, Ovens, etc. all present environments that can compromise a standard FC-1010-CS slide bearing.

Unlike any of the other bearings mentioned in this discussion, thermal break bearings are built to handle static loads only.

Rubber Bearing Pads

Teflon® Slide Bearings / Fluorogold® Slide Bearings

To the Steel Fabricator, Steel Erector or any construction trade, the category “Bearings” is comprised of many different products. Some, like elastomeric bearings, are made to order and are not re-sized or adjusted in any way by the end fabricator or erector. For purposes of this article we will focus on the bearing materials that can be cut to size, drilled and shaped by the fabricator.