ContiTech Vibration Control Develops Conical Bearing for Improved Stability in Amphibious Working Environments

Whether for construction work in a harbor or for land reclamation work – amphibious excavators are used on all construction projects that are located on lakes, rivers or in coastal areas. But working in water also has its challenges. Movements of the excavator and weight transferal resulting from the additional weight when the bucket is full cause various stresses and have an effect on the entire stability of the machine. ContiTech Vibration Control has developed a conical bearing suitable for the demands of amphibious excavators. Built into the excavator slew bearing, the bearing keeps the amphibious vehicle on course during construction work.

What is special about the new bearing is its dimensions. With a load transferal capacity of approximately 50 to 150 kN, the bearing can handle large loads and thus can fulfill the requirements of construction work on harbors and coastal areas. For use as an excavator slew bearing, two separate bearing elements are braced against each other over a rod. Inside, the
conical bearing has a large rubber pad, which provides good lateral stability due to its specially designed contour. Thanks to its high spring stiffness of 2,200 N/mm, the conical bearing effectively reduces the swaying of the amphibious construction vehicle.

Installation of the bearing means it is tear-proof and thus optimal for use in construction machines. It can also be used optionally as an unbraced individual element. "The new bearing was specially developed for the elastic bearing of an excavator on a floating pontoon, but it will certainly soon find uses in other application areas," says ContiTech product developer Henri Scherrens.