Tenmat
Tenmat is a long-established UK manufacturer of advanced non-metallic engineering materials, best known for its high-load, low-friction composite bearings and wear pads. Its bearing products are built around fibre-reinforced thermoset composites rather than metals, giving a family of maintenance-free plain bearings that resist corrosion, tolerate edge loading and shock, and operate dry, grease-lubricated or fully submerged in water. These characteristics make Tenmat a recognised reference in demanding sectors such as marine, hydropower, rail, offshore, defence and structural (bridge) engineering.
Two flagship trade names anchor the range: Feroform, a family of woven-fabric-reinforced composite bearing materials for high-load sliding applications, and Railko, notably the water-lubricated NF21 grade widely used in ship rudder and stern-tube bearings and in hydro turbine guide bearings. Tenmat also supplies structural bearing/wear pads and slide plates for bridges and heavy machinery. The common thread is dry-running or water-running performance without the maintenance, contamination risk or corrosion associated with oil-lubricated metal bearings.
For Bushingo buyers, Tenmat sits at the heavy-duty, non-metallic end of the maintenance-free spectrum: where the Metafram sintered metal range (BP25 bronze, FP20 iron, SO16 alloy) covers general oil-impregnated rotary duties, Tenmat's composites address extreme loads, water immersion, corrosive environments and large structural interfaces. Bushingo's Metagliss self-lubricating composite friction plates are the closest conceptual analogue for structural and high-load sliding-pad applications.
Tenmat Feroform T814
| Material | Woven synthetic-fibre reinforced thermoset composite with incorporated solid lubricants (non-metallic, self-lubricating) |
|---|---|
| Forms | Cylindrical bush, Flanged bush, Wrapped/rolled sleeve, Wear pad / slide plate, Thrust washer, Machined blank |
| Typical size range | Broad range from small bushes of a few tens of millimetres bore up to very large structural bearings several hundred millimetres in diameter; supplied as bushes, plates and machinable stock (general guidance, not certified dimensions) |
Key features
- Dry-running / self-lubricating — no external grease or oil required
- High static and dynamic load capacity with good edge-loading tolerance
- Excellent corrosion resistance and dimensional stability in wet and marine environments
- Low friction and good wear life under oscillating and slow-speed motion
- Maintenance-free operation reducing lubrication and downtime costs
Applications
- Marine deck machinery and linkages
- Offshore and subsea equipment
- Hydro and water-control gate bearings
- Heavy industrial and structural pivots
- Crane and materials-handling joints
- Rail vehicle and infrastructure bearings
Cross-reference
The closest Bushingo/Metafram analogue is Metagliss self-lubricating composite friction plates for high-load, dry-running sliding-pad and structural applications. Where a buyer needs a rotary maintenance-free bush, the Metafram BP25 (oil-impregnated sintered bronze) is the metallic equivalent, though Feroform is chosen instead when corrosion, water immersion, non-metallic requirements or very high edge loads rule out sintered metal. Cross-refers to competitor composites such as Thordon, Orkot (Trelleborg) and Deva composite bearings.
Tenmat Feroform T12
| Material | Fabric-reinforced thermoset composite bearing material with solid lubricant additions (non-metallic) |
|---|---|
| Forms | Cylindrical bush, Flanged bush, Wear pad, Thrust washer, Slide plate, Machined component |
| Typical size range | Small-to-large plain bushes and pads; typically supplied to application-specific bore and outside-diameter requirements rather than fixed catalogue sizes (general guidance only) |
Key features
- Self-lubricating composite suited to dry or marginally lubricated running
- Good conformability and shock/impact tolerance
- Corrosion-proof and unaffected by water contact
- Stable low coefficient of friction over a wide load range
- Long, maintenance-free service life
Applications
- Marine and shipboard mechanisms
- Water and wastewater plant
- Hydraulic gate and penstock bearings
- General heavy-engineering pivots and linkages
- Structural and civil-engineering bearings
Cross-reference
Aligns with Bushingo Metagliss composite friction plates for sliding and structural pad duties, and serves as a non-metallic alternative to the Metafram BP25 sintered-bronze bush where wet, corrosive or high-shock conditions favour a composite. A close sibling to Feroform T814, differentiated by grade-specific friction/wear balance. Cross-refers to Orkot, Thordon and Deva.tex composites.
Tenmat Railko NF21
| Material | Phenolic / thermoset resin-based composite bearing material optimised for water lubrication (non-metallic) |
|---|---|
| Forms | Cylindrical bush, Stern-tube / rudder bearing sleeve, Staved or segmented bearing, Turbine guide-bearing segment, Machined blank |
| Typical size range | From modest bushes to very large marine and turbine bearings of several hundred millimetres diameter, typically staved or segmented for the largest sizes (general guidance, dimensions engineered to order) |
Key features
- Water-lubricated operation — runs submerged with water as the lubricant
- Very low wear against stainless and coated shafts in wet service
- Corrosion-immune, non-metallic construction
- High load capacity with good resistance to abrasive contaminated water
- Environmentally clean — eliminates oil-lubrication pollution risk
Applications
- Ship rudder bearings and pintle bushes
- Stern-tube and shaft bearings
- Hydro turbine guide and wicket-gate bearings
- Water-control and sluice gate bearings
- Pump and submerged rotating equipment
Cross-reference
There is no direct water-lubricated equivalent in the Metafram sintered range; Railko NF21 addresses a duty (fully submerged, water-lubricated) that oil-impregnated Metafram BP25/FP20 and even dry composites are not intended for. It is best positioned alongside Bushingo's maintenance-free offering as the specialist water-lubricated option, complementing Metagliss on the structural/sliding side. Cross-refers directly to Thordon (marine water-lubricated bearings), Orkot marine grades and Vesconite.
Tenmat Structural Bearing & Wear Pads (slide plates / bridge bearings)
| Material | Fibre-reinforced composite wear pads and slide plates (non-metallic, self-lubricating), used as sliding elements in structural and heavy-machinery bearings |
|---|---|
| Forms | Flat wear pad, Slide plate / bearing plate, Curved (spherical) sliding segment, Guided sliding element, Machined pad to drawing |
| Typical size range | Pads and plates ranging from small machine interfaces to large civil-engineering bearing surfaces; supplied cut/machined to the structural interface required (general guidance only) |
Key features
- High compressive load capacity for structural interfaces
- Low-friction sliding to accommodate thermal expansion and movement
- Dry-running and maintenance-free — no lubrication of the sliding face
- Corrosion-resistant and durable in exposed outdoor environments
- Accommodates edge loading, misalignment and slow reciprocating movement
Applications
- Bridge and viaduct expansion bearings
- Structural expansion and movement joints
- Heavy plant and machinery slideways
- Large rotating structures (e.g. bascule/swing mechanisms)
- Hydro gate and lock sliding interfaces
Cross-reference
Maps most directly onto Bushingo Metagliss self-lubricating composite friction plates, which serve the same dry-running, high-load structural sliding-pad role. This is the family where Metagliss and Tenmat's structural pads are true functional counterparts, as opposed to the rotary-bush focus of Metafram BP25/FP20/SO16. Cross-refers to competitor structural sliding materials such as Deva, Orkot and PTFE-faced bearing pads.
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