Thordon Bearings experiences it has secured a second main Mexican Navy contract for the provision of its water-lubricated SXL put on rings for retrofit set up to the waterjet propulsion nozzles on 25 interceptor patrol vessels.
The contract follows the success of intensive trials during which the SXL materials changed using different anti-corrosive coatings in waterjet impeller housings, leading to elevated resistance to cavitation induced corrosion.
Rotary Parts, Thordon’s licensed distributor in Mexico, is supplying the housings for 25 Polaris and Polaris II quick patrol boats. The scope of provide is for 440mm (15.8in) outdoors diameter, 160mm (6.3in) lengthy SXL put on rings for every impeller housing. Installation is going down throughout routine drydocking at numerous Mexican Navy websites alongside each the Pacific and Gulf coasts.
“We received an initial contract in May 2023 for 50 SXL wear rings and this has now been followed by a second contract for another 75 units,” mentioned William Lugardo, Thordon Specialist at Rotary Parts. “As soon as the main contract was confirmed, we began with the impeller housing repairs to ensure the optimum surface area prior to machining Thordon SXL material. We have completed the first batch of SXL wear ring installations and now working on the second.”
Lugardo defined Rotary Parts beneficial using the SXL materials to switch the coating system of the impeller housing to raised shield the floor space towards corrosion and propeller cavitation. Typically, the inside housing of a waterjet impeller wants a re-coat each three months to take care of propulsion effectivity. “They tried using different types of coatings but without success,” he mentioned.
Tests carried out earlier than contract signing demonstrated the longevity of Thordon’s water-lubricated polymer know-how, Lugardo furthered. “The Thordon material did not show any wear or damage. And a year after the first tests, it is still resisting cavitation and has improved waterjet efficiency for these vessels. The material better protects not only the propeller housing but also propeller blades and tips, potentially reducing the overall waterjet maintenance spend.”
Jeffrey Butt, Thordon Bearings’ Business Development Manager, Navy & Coast Guard, mentioned, “Thordon Bearings is a major supplier of advanced polymer solutions to the Mexican Navy but this is the first time our advanced SXL material has been used to replace costly anti-corrosion coatings in waterjet vessels. We were delighted the trials have been successful. Winning this order is confirmation of Naval Secretariat SEMAR’s continued confidence in Thordon Bearings’ proprietary technology.”
