Steel Mill Customer Orders Largest GRAPHALLOY® Split Pillow Block Bushing Ever Made

A Graphite Metallizing steel mill customer recently installed 12 “super-sized” GRAPHALLOY^® bushings for the main drive shaft in their quench tank.

The Model 478 GRAPHALLOY split pillow block design has a bore ID of 6.00 inches — the largest ever produced by Graphite Metallizing. These pillow blocks are used to support the sprockets that drive the chains pulling molten billets through the quench tank. Each of the dozen pillow blocks that the mill ordered weighs more than 250 lbs. and must function under difficult operating conditions: complete submersion in heated, contaminated water while supporting 10,000 lb. loads at 10 RPM.

GRAPHALLOY bushings can withstand temperatures ranging from cryogenic to 1000° F/535° C) and are dimensionally stable even when submerged or under load. They can be used to solve difficult application problems involving high temperatures, as well as acidic, corrosive and wash-down environments. Because of their long life and self-lubricating qualities, they are especially suitable for installations that cannot be accessed easily, or where performing regular maintenance is difficult.

Graphite Metallizing Corp., established in 1913, produces GRAPHALLOY a graphite/metal alloy bearing material used in the manufacture of self-lubricating bearings and components for machinery and process systems.