The Aqualube range of rubber sleeved bearings are designed for marine and industrial applications. The Bearings feature a specially formulated nitrile rubber which offers outstanding resistance to abrasion and wear.

Rubber and water make the perfect combination for a bearing material and a lubricant. The natural resilience of rubber gives the bearing its shock, vibration and noise absorption properties.

The unique shape of the Aqualube bearing strips allow a hydrodynamic water wedge to form between shaft and bearing, even at low shaft speeds. Water is the perfect lubrication medium, particularly for marine craft. When the water enters the bearing through the longitudinal grooves it moves radially between the propeller shaft and the bearing face in a thin film. Once this film, or wedge, has developed, the shaft will not come into contact with the bearing.

Aqualube bearings are molded from a specially compounded oil and chemical resistant nitrile rubber. The nitrile rubber demonstrates an excellent resistance to wear and abrasion and is also tough and durable. Bonding techniques developed by Michigan Wheel ensure that the strength of the bond to the shell is at least equal to the strength of the rubber itself.

Duramax Marine Johnson Cutless bearings are engineered with a propriety formulation of extremely tough chemical and oil resistant nitrile rubber polymer lining, molded and firmly bonded into a naval brass of non-metallic shell. Grooves run the entire length of the rubber lining allowing for maximum lubricating water flow and dissipation of frictional heat.

Duramax Marine Johnson Cutless bearings Rubber Sleeve and Flange Bearings suit heavy-duty commercial and pleasure craft applications. Shells for sleeve bearings are seamless naval brass; those for flanged bearings are one-piece centrifugally cast with integral flange. Sleeve bearings are also available with a rugged non-metallic shell, other types of shells, such as stainless steel, monel or aluminium can be finished to order. All bearings are precision-machined to close tolerance and fully inspected.

Water lubricated rubber bearings offer an alternative solution to the ever growing concerns of environmental restrictions, the high costs of maintenance and replacement in today's marine industry. How are rubber-lined bearings an alternative? They use water as the lubricant. This concept is very important because if water is used rather than oil, contamination seals are not required. If seals are not required, pumps and tanks may not be necessary. This leads to a simpler shaft bearing system and immediate cost saving.