G R E A S E - F R E ER U D D E R B E A R I N G S

PROVEN RUDDER BEARINGDURABILITY AND

GUARANTEED PERFORMANCEFROM THE PIONEERS IN

POLYMER BEARING TECHNOLOGY

Reliability, long wear life and superior customer service have made Thordonthe first choice in pollution free rudder bearing applications for over 35 years.Thordon SXL self lubricating bearings have set the standard in rudder bearingtechnology and are recognized internationally as the proven choice for value,performance and complete freedom from water pollution concerns for both newconstruction and conversions.

For newbuildings, Thordon Bearings offers a 15 year bearing wear life guaranteeunmatched by any other rudder bearing supplier. Ship owners and managers thatspecify Thordon SXL rudder bearings understand total life cycle cost is much moreimportant than initial purchase price. With a worldwide distribution network fromSeattle to Halifax to Portugal to Dubai to Shanghai, Thordon rudder bearings can bedelivered fast to any ship repair facility in the world.

Once customers have experiencedthe performance of the product,technical support and after-salesservice from Thordon Bearings andtheir extensive distribution network,they stay with Thordon.

Thordon Bearings, a world leader in

elastomeric polymer bearing technology

advancements since the 1970’s, recommends

SXL, an advanced polymer alloy with a low

coefficient of friction offering total freedom

from grease for all rudder bearing

applications above and below the waterline.

In addition to SXL pintle, stock and carrier disc

bearings, HPSXL TRAXL or Thordon's new

thermoplastic product, ThorPlas® can be

specified grease-free in steering and linkage

applications as well as fin stabilizers. Thordon

has also developed a new high performance

rudder stock seal to complement the Thordon

rudder bearing package.

GOOD FOR THE SEA. GOOD FOR BUSINESS. GOOD FOR LIFE.

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Thordon SXL rudder carrier diskbearing.

Installation of SXL bearing intohousing.

Installation of keeper ring asSXL bearing warms.

SXL CarrierBearing

SXL Bearing

ThorPlas®orHPSXL TRAXL

Thorwiper

Thorseals

SXL PintleBearing

Thorseals

ThorPlas steering and linkagebearings.

ThorPlas® Steeringand Linkage BearingsThorPlas® is a proprietary engineeredthermoplastic designed to withstand radialloads as high as bronze ( working pressuresup to 31 MPa or 4500 psi ) in dry or wetapplications. ThorPlas® offers reduced wear,and eliminates the need for grease, whenspecified in place of bronze bushings insteering linkage and hydraulic cylinder yokeapplications. A separate detailed brochureon ThorPlas® is available.

Thordon Rudder Stock SealsThordon’s high performance rudder stock lipseal is manufactured from the tough, selflubricating Thorseal polymer to complementthe Thordon rudder bearing package. Thordonrudder stock seals are mounted above therudder bearing to prevent the ingress of waterinto the hull. Designed to provide positivesealing and exceptional wear life these rudderstock seals take into account the largerbearing clearances and movements inherentto rudder stocks. The standard series ofThordon Rudder Stock Seals covers ruddershaft diameters from 200mm (8 in.) to1200mm (47 in.). Special designs are availablefor small rudder stocks or where space isrestricted. Thordon Rudder Seals can also beincorporated into fin stabilizers.

Thorseal Hydraulic SealsThorseals are tough, high performance,polymer lip seals that offer positive sealingover a pressure range from 0 to 100 MPa(15,000 psi). Manufactured from a tough selflubricating polymer, Thorseals provide longwear life with no need for periodicadjustments, resists tearing and extrusionand, as a result of built-in lubricants, operatewith less drag and reduced cylinder wear.Custom sizes up to 1.5m (60”) diameter canbe produced quickly from factory stock tubes.

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ThordonSeal

ThordonSeal

Thordon RudderStock Seals

SXL UpperStock Bearing

GUARANTEED LONG BEARINGWEAR LIFE

Thordon SXL has the longest bearing wearlife for newbuild vessels and proves it byoffering a 15 year bearing wear lifeguarantee for all newbuild vessels. Theguarantee is based on 35 years experienceof bearings typically lasting the life of thevessel. Thordon is the onlymanufacturer tooffer this guarantee.

Thordon is an elastomer.When operatingin water with abrasives present, SXLtends to deflect and then reject abrasiveparticles allowing them to pass throughthe bearing without being embedded orgouging (as can be the case withphenolic laminates or bronze bearings),thus bearing wear is minimized. Inconversion applications, Thordon SXLrudder bearings are guaranteed to meetClass wear specifications for twice thelife of a non-Thordon bearing beingreplaced, up to a maximum of 10 years.

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What Makes Thordon Different

SXL Offers These Owner Benefits:

Thordon’s 15 Year Rudder Bearing Wear Life Guarantee ensures provision of areplacement if a Thordon SXL rudder bearing wears out and requires renewalbefore the 15-year period.

The guarantee covers pintle, rudder stock and carrier disc bearings above andbelow the waterline in newbuild Classed vessels. The 15-Year Rudder BearingWear Life Guarantee applies to the original owner of the ship and is non-transferable. Engineering details such as Classification Society, vessel name,ship owner’s name the guarantee will apply to, rudder specifications etc. willbe required prior to issuing the guarantee.

Thordon continues to offer its repair/conversion guarantee as well. Inconversion pintle, stock or carrier applications, Thordon SXL rudder bearingsare guaranteed to meet Classification Society wear specifications for twice thelife of the non-Thordon bearing replaced, up to a maximum of ten years, orThordon Bearings will supply a new rudder bearing free of charge.* The guarantee is subject to prior approval by Thordon Bearings Inc. and limited to the supply ofreplacement bearing(s).

15 Year Rudder BearingWear Life Guarantee*

HIGH SHOCK ABSORPTION

SXLabsorbs impact loadsmaking itmuchmore resistant to damage from poundingduring operation in heavy seas thanstiffer materials such as phenoliclaminates or bronze. Feedback fromshock tests by the U.S. Navy (CVN AircraftCarriers) showed that Thordon SXL wasdeemed a superior product compared tophenolic laminates. The inherent impactresistance of the material also meansthat it is almost impossible to damageduring shipping and installation.

TOLERANCE TO EDGE LOADING

Under shaft bending or misalignmentconditions, Thordon SXL will betteraccept edge loading than phenoliclaminates or bronze. During edgeloading, Thordon SXL will deformslightly, due to its visco-elasticproperties, conforming to the shaftthereby preventing binding. Stresses onthe bearing and shaft are reducedcompared to a harder stiffer material,such as a phenolic laminate or bronze.

TECHNICAL AND CUSTOMERSUPPORT

Thordon has experienced Technical andAfter-sales Service departments as wellas a global network of 70+ factorytrained distributors to assist customerswith any pre- or post-sales concerns.Most shipyards in the world are familiarwith Thordon and comfortable workingwith it.

EASY MACHINING ANDHANDLING

Thordon SXL machines cleanly andproduces no machining dust. It is moreforgiving of small machining errors thanmore rigid materials. SXL is lighter thanbronze and phenolic laminates and canbe fitted quickly and easily by freezing inliquid nitrogen.

SELF LUBRICATING =ZERO POLLUTION RISK

Grease or other lubricants are notrequired to lower the coefficient offriction or to reduce the wear rate of aThordon SXL bearing. In rudder stockapplications, even when the bearing isout of the water and completely dry,Thordon SXL can operate without

lubrication. Thordon SXL rudder bearingsensure ship owners and operators thatthere will be no environmental violationsfrom leaking rudder lubricants.

AVAILABILITY

By combining an extensive stockingdistributor network and strategicallylocatedcorporate stockingpoints, Thordoncan provide rudder bearings quickly to anyship repair facility in the world.

DIMENSIONING

Thordon has an easy to use computerbased dimensioning program which isavailable to yards or owners on request.

EXTENSIVE REFERENCES

Since the first Thordon rudder bearinginstallation in 1970, Thordon has beensupplying rudder bearings to the worldfleet amassing over 35,000 vessel-years of rudder bearing experience.

CLASSIFICATION SOCIETYAPPROVALS

Thordon SXL rudder bearings areapproved by most ClassificationSocieties. Approved pressure is in therange of 10-12 MPa (1450-1740psi).

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Contact Length

TYPICAL EDGE LOADING PROFILE

BronzeTypical Non-MetallicThordon SXL

DSME (DAEWOO SHIPBUILDING AND MARINE ENGINEERING CO., LTD.) has fitted Thordon SXL rudderbearings to new ships since 1984 and has never had a customer claim.

DUBAI DRYDOCKS, the world’s largest tanker repair yard, has been fitting Thordon SXL rudder bearings in repair for morethan 20 years. They fit more Thordon rudder bearings than any other material. In the 20 years that Dubai Drydocks have beenworking with Thordon, they have never encountered a worn out Thordon bearing.

Customer Focused To SupportYour Immediate And Future Needs

TBIR 03/09 4000 BC

PRINTED IN CANADA

ISO 9001:2000CGSBRegistration #93649

Supply and Service: Geared to provide quickresponse to customer needs, ThordonBearings understands the importance of fastdelivery and reduced down time. Thordonmarine bearing systems can be designed,produced to the exact requirements of thecustomer and shipped quickly.

Distribution: With Thordon bearingsspecified all around the world, an extensivecustomer service network has beenestablished in over 70 countries. Inventoriesof common bearing sizes are stocked by localThordon Distributors and are backed up bylarge regional andheadofficeThordon stocks.

Application Engineering: ThordonBearing’s engineers work closely withcustomers to provide innovative bearingsystem designs that meet or exceed thetechnical requirements of the application.

Manufacturing: Thordon’s modernpolymer processing facility is staffed withexperienced and dedicated employees.Bearings up to 2.2 m (86") in diameter havebeen supplied and bearings up to 1.5 m(60") O.D. can be machined in-house.

Quality: Thordon Bearings Inc. is aCanadian company manufacturing to ISO9001:2000 Quality System requirements.With over 35 years experience inelastomeric bearing design, applicationengineering and manufacturing, Thordonmarine bearing systems are recognizedworldwide for both quality and performance.

Research and Development: Thordonbearings are being continuously tested by ourBearing Test Facility. The Facility evaluatesnew designs and applications before they areput into service. Ongoing testing not onlyallows for design refinements, but ensuresquality and performance after installation.Our polymer laboratory evaluates new andmodified polymers in a continuing quest toimprove Thordon bearing performance andsearches for new polymer bearing solutions.

Your local Thordon Distributor

3225 Mainway, Burlington, Ontario L7M 1A6 Canada

Tel: (905) 335-1440 Fax: (905) 335-4033

E-mail info@thordonbearings.com

www.thordonbearings.com