Dudely7
Mechanical
- Feb 1, 2010
- 10
Hello, we have non-rotating mild steel shafts (1.625"OD) that will be sliding through a firewall back and forth up to 4". Periodically, side loads of several hundred pounds will push the sliding shaft against a 4 bolt flange on this 'firewall'. The flange ring will hav an oversides bore to allow simple misalignment and pivot of the shaft. We are having trouble choosing a material for this 3/8"-1/2" thick rub flange (see attached image).
At first we liked the properties of UHMW-PE, but don't need a high impact rating, and are worried the ultimate tensile strength may be too low for the amount of material we can use. PEEK and high end Nylons are out of the price range.
Traditionally, the shaft was held by a tight, thin steel support,but constant lubrication, noise and damage to the shafts were the issues.
Exactly how much force could a ring of UHMW like this take, and what exactly would the failure be? Would it cause any wear to the smooth low carbon shafts?
Sorry for the long winded query, I am just having trouble finding honest real world evaluations for products in our price range. thanks for any help, Dudely

At first we liked the properties of UHMW-PE, but don't need a high impact rating, and are worried the ultimate tensile strength may be too low for the amount of material we can use. PEEK and high end Nylons are out of the price range.
Traditionally, the shaft was held by a tight, thin steel support,but constant lubrication, noise and damage to the shafts were the issues.
Exactly how much force could a ring of UHMW like this take, and what exactly would the failure be? Would it cause any wear to the smooth low carbon shafts?
Sorry for the long winded query, I am just having trouble finding honest real world evaluations for products in our price range. thanks for any help, Dudely