BR70 consists of multiple plies of heavy-weight canvas cloth saturated with phenolic resin system modified with alumina. Alumina adds hardness to the material which reduces bearing wear. This product is colored red for easier inspection of bearing surfaces. BR70 laminates offer load-bearing capacities equivalent to those of brass and bronze, but will not seize to metal shafts, speeding up bearing replacement and reducing equipment downtime. Compared to thermoplastics, BR70 provides superior load-bearing properties and has a Coefficient of Thermal Expansion that more closely matches the CTE of metal shafts. BR70 is used to make water-cooled propeller stave bearings on ships. In addition, steel and aluminum rolling mills prefer BR70 bearings to metal or thermoplastic bearings because they last longer in many applications and can be replaced quickly during overhauls.
