UHMW Abrasion Resistance 1

[wbednarz]

I am considering laminating some table tops (steel plate top) with 1/4" or 1/2" thick UHMW (see McMaster items 84945K815) to slide heavy dies across. The dies weigh about 2000# each. I was thinking of using an adhesive to mount the UHMW.

I am choosing this instead of rollers because of the lower assembly and labor costs. We would do this on at least a dozen pieces of equipment.

Does anyone know what a good adhesive would be for UHMW to steel?

Does this sound like a bad idea all together? We would be moving dies across the UHMW 6 to 12 times a day.



New computer viruses? That could be nice.

 

[handleman]

Using an approximate coefficient of friction of 0.16 (dry), you would have to push with over 300lbf to get the dies to slide. Best-case, if you're oil-lubricated, you get 0.05 coefficient, which is still 100lbf to push.

 

[wbednarz]

Thanks for the reply. We do have a mechanism to move it across the table that will give us mechanical advantage. However, it is not enough for dry steel on steel.

My concerns are what is a good adhesive between steel and UHMW and what kind of loading issues should I be concerned about?

New computer viruses? That could be nice.

 

[eromlignod]

I'd use Teflon and I'd screw it down with flat-heads rather than use glue.

Don
Kansas City

 

[MadMango]

I agree with eromlignod, mechanical fasteneres are preferred over messy adhesives, especially since these wear strips are going to become a maintenace point.

[green]"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."[/green]

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[jedward]

Can you impliment some sort of air bearing to provide a temporary float for the heavy part?
(put some small channels in the plastic top and hoses from the back),would probably require some valving arrangement and an air supply but it could effectively reduce the friction to about zero

 

[wbednarz]

Teflon is about 5-6 times the price of UHMW. That is not an option for us.

 

[dvd]

You need to buy rubber backed uhmw and glue it down, contact cement works but there may be other adhesives recommended by the uhmw supplier. Poly-hi solidur makes it:

http://www.polyhisolidur.com/PHS2003/TivRubBck/TivRubBck2.htm

 

[wbednarz]

I like the sound of that. I sent them an RFQ for rubber backed Tivar 1000 at 3/8" thick. Thanks.

 

[unclesyd]

You may have to go to thicker sheet for your loads. We had a similar situation with approximately half the load and had to go to 1/2.

 

[CarlosCucho]

In the case of UHMW-TIVAR88, to be a material of low coefficient of friction, it is possible that the adhesive, be not a good idea, for the case of 1/2", once use screws to fix to the base, then it was covered with a badge of the same UHMW, bony perforation fixed with screw-nut and then covered.