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RANDOLPH RESEARCH CO.
LAMIFLEX® Hi-Load Rubber Laminate Bearings / Seals

What are rubber laminate bearings?
They are made of many thin alternate layers or laminations of metal and rubber (elastomer) bonded together to form a stack. The laminations may be in the form of flat or conical or hemispherical shapes, or may be curved to form a cylinder or other shape. Lateral motions between successive metal layers are permitted by shearing action within and parallel to the intervening rubber layers. At the same time, this stack of laminations can sustain high normal forces (eg, 10,000 psi or more) with very slight compression because of negligible extrusion of the rubber (as thin as .002" for some small bearings) out from between the metal laminations.

So the laminate bearing can resist thrust, radial, or combined normal forces (depending upon its configuration) when they are imposed upon its outer layers, while permitting limited lateral movement between the opposed loading members. This motion may include oscillatory pivoting about a normal axis, or transverse shifting, and results in a distribution of the shearing movement between the individual rubber layers, with proportional opposing force or torque resulting from their shear stress. There is little or no frictional resistance against this movement. Usually, the two outermost metal laminations are made thicker to form external load faces and permit keying.

Recently developed LAMIFLEX Bearing-Seals are laminated bearings with a central aperture that provide a hermetic seal against the lateral flow of liquids or gasses between the periphery and the aperture, even under large differential pressure.

Some Applications
Helicopter and wind-turbine blade retention bearings for feathering axis motion while absorbing tons of centrifugal force. Click here

For undersea craft (or other pressure vessels), bearing-seals to support and seal shafts that penetrate the hull. A flat washer type was oscillated at +/- 15 deg. under 10,000 psi differential pressure for over 1 million cycles. Click here

Your application
Press Releases
NEW BEARING-SEAL PERMITS SAFE MOTION TRANSFER THROUGH  PRESSURE VESSEL WALL


Who are we?
We invented the concept of high-load rubber laminate bearings and developed the first application, helicopter blade retention (now standard practice). High-pressure LAMIFLEX laminate bearing-seals are a more recent innovation (US Patent 6,524, 007 and others).

We're a small company dedicated to developing and making LAMIFLEX bearings and seals for various custom applications.

We were a prize winner in the 1999 Design News Excellence in Design Competition (Design News, March 6, 2000).

More information? Contact us
E-mail: info@randolphresearch.com 
Phone: Bill Hinks at 330-666-1667.

Randolph Research Co.
PO Box 336
Bath, Ohio 44210-0336

Updated 07/09/07