Babbitted bearings

Telatek has an experience spanning decades on both the fabrication of babbitted bearings by spraying and their overhaul. Throughout the years, we have implemented hundreds of babbitted bearings projects, the majority of which have been for energy, mining and pulp & paper industries.

Bearing manufacture

Loose Babbitt layer hinders the formation of oil film, which makes the operation of the bearing uncertain. Telatek bearings are fabricated by spraying resulting in 100% adhesion which ensures that the surface layer will not become loose.

Fabrication process of new bearings in brief:

• Design by measurement or model
• Fabrication of the bearing by spraying
• Machining
• Inspections
• Installation

Thanks to our technology, the fabrication of bearings is fast; custom-made bearings will be delivered in about four weeks.

Bearing overhaul

Usually bearings are delivered for overhaul according to a planned schedule but sometimes overhaul is extremely urgent. We are used to being flexible according to customer needs, for example, we can overhaul a turbine bearing in 2–3 days. In babbitted bearing overhaul, it is important that the old bearing metal is carefully removed. The new bearing metal is sprayed according to carefully determined spraying parameters.

Adhesive strength of Babbitt sprayed by Telatek is over 20 MPa, in other words, the internal strength of Babbitt will yield before the metal adhesion comes off.

After spraying, the body will be cleaned and bearing surfaces machined. The last fabrication stage is inspec-tion. All babbitted bearings overhauled and fabricated by us will be inspected by an accredited inspection body. When needed, Telatek’s experts will install the bearings on site.

Overhauled and fabricated bearings may be stored in Telatek’s warehouse, for example, to wait for a scheduled maintenance shutdown.

Inspection that do not break the surface

It is impossible to detect all fissures in the bearing with bare eyes. Non-destructive (NDT) inspections are also required to verify fissures and deviations hidden beneath the surface.

Our NDT operations are FINAS-accredited, and our NDT laboratories have been approved by all classification societies.

Telatek bearings are also used in nuclear power plants

Telatek’s babbitted bearings are used in environments with strict safety criteria. Telatek’s babbitted bearings fabricated by spraying are approved by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Finland (STUK) and they are in use, for example, in Fortum’s Loviisa nuclear power plant.