Who are we?
We're a small company dedicated to making LAMIFLEX laminated rubber (elastomeric) bearings and seals for various applications.
We invented the concept of dynamic laminated rubber bearings and developed the first application, helicopter blade retention. Unlike ball or roller bearings which tend to fail quickly under those high-centrifugal loads with limited oscillation, laminated rubber bearings have proven to be reliable and have become the norm. Please see the Helicopter page.
LAMIFLEX Bearing-Seals are a more recent innovation for control surface mountings on UUVs, ROVs and
other types of submersibles in a realm of tremendous hydrostatic pressures. Please see the Bearing-Seal
page.
Other possible applications include small wind-turbines and industrial uses. Please see the Other Applications page.
We see many new opportunities for design using LAMIFLEX bearings and seals and believe they can
enhance your project. We welcome your ideas and feedback for all types of applications.
We invented the concept of dynamic laminated rubber bearings and developed the first application, helicopter blade retention. Unlike ball or roller bearings which tend to fail quickly under those high-centrifugal loads with limited oscillation, laminated rubber bearings have proven to be reliable and have become the norm. Please see the Helicopter page.
LAMIFLEX Bearing-Seals are a more recent innovation for control surface mountings on UUVs, ROVs and
other types of submersibles in a realm of tremendous hydrostatic pressures. Please see the Bearing-Seal
page.
Other possible applications include small wind-turbines and industrial uses. Please see the Other Applications page.
We see many new opportunities for design using LAMIFLEX bearings and seals and believe they can
enhance your project. We welcome your ideas and feedback for all types of applications.
What are laminated rubber bearings?
They're a stack of many thin alternate layers of metal and rubber bonded together to form a solid mass with an internal aperture as shown in the illustration to the left. (The metal layers or washers are turquoise and the alternate rubber layers are grey.) The layers are greatly exaggerated in thickness for the sake of clarity; in some designs, there may actually be 50 or more rubber layers. In service, this bearing unit would be seated upon a sturdy base or housing. The black arrow signifies a large force acting downward upon the top face.
Each rubber layer can shift sideways a small amount. Because of the elastic compliance of the rubber layers, the top can be twisted relative to the bottom; the incremental movements in the rubber layers add up. The illustration shows the movement of a line that's vertical when drawn upon the bearing at rest. The line remains vertical on the metal layers, but shifts within the rubber layers. So angular movement results in a distribution of action between the individual rubber layers. Angular motion is limited by the stretch of the rubber in the layers, so continuous rotation is not possible. The rotational limit is a design factor, typically +/- 15 degrees.
But, this stack of lamination can sustain very high normal forces between its top and bottom surfaces, such as 10,000 psi or more. However, compression is very slight because the rubber layers are too thin to squeeze out from between the metal layers.
A laminated bearing can resist thrust, radial or combined normal forces, depending upon the configuration of its laminate surfaces. The laminations are flat in the illustrated cross-section, but their shape may instead be truncated, conical, hemispherical or wrapped into a cylindrical arc. Please see the Other Applications page for possible shapes.
Each rubber layer can shift sideways a small amount. Because of the elastic compliance of the rubber layers, the top can be twisted relative to the bottom; the incremental movements in the rubber layers add up. The illustration shows the movement of a line that's vertical when drawn upon the bearing at rest. The line remains vertical on the metal layers, but shifts within the rubber layers. So angular movement results in a distribution of action between the individual rubber layers. Angular motion is limited by the stretch of the rubber in the layers, so continuous rotation is not possible. The rotational limit is a design factor, typically +/- 15 degrees.
But, this stack of lamination can sustain very high normal forces between its top and bottom surfaces, such as 10,000 psi or more. However, compression is very slight because the rubber layers are too thin to squeeze out from between the metal layers.
A laminated bearing can resist thrust, radial or combined normal forces, depending upon the configuration of its laminate surfaces. The laminations are flat in the illustrated cross-section, but their shape may instead be truncated, conical, hemispherical or wrapped into a cylindrical arc. Please see the Other Applications page for possible shapes.
Why LAMIFLEX Bearings and Bearing-Seals?
They can handle many tons of force while permitting small angular oscillations, hundreds of times per minute. And lifetime is increased over ball or roller bearings without any lubrication. In the undersea realm, they can permit the safe penetration of a submersible hull to carry and seal a shaft from an internal actuator to an external hydrodynamic control surface.
- Easily handle tons of centrifugal or hydrostatic force
- Oscillate at high frequency
- No lubrication
- Hermetic sealing