The race is on with Orkot® bearings

The race is on with Orkot® bearings from Busak+Shamban The Volvo Ocean Race is the high point of ocean sailing. Starting in Vigo, Spain, on November 15th 2005, and finishing in Gothenburg, Sweden, eight months later, the competing racing yachts will touch four continents as they circumnavigate 32,000 miles of the globe. The Volvo 70’s, a new class of boat developed for the race, are the Formula One boats of the seas and all aspects of design and materials are considered by every team, to optimize speed potential, stability, maneuverability and sailing creativity. TEAM ABN AMRO has two boats, both designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian. Their design includes twin rudders for added security, in case of breakage or collision with a floating object, with twin foils used to increase control when the keel is canted. Being retractable, unimpaired movement of the foils is essential, and that’s what led the boat designers to Orkot®TLM Marine, a highly specialized composite material from Busak+Shamban, part of the Trelleborg Group, developed for marine applications. In conjunction with Busak+Shamban engineers in the Netherlands, developers of the Volvo 70’s yacht, for TEAM ABN AMRO, selected Orkot®TLM Marine composite for the critical bearing pads which enable the foil boards to extend, retract and tilt in perfect movement. Orkot®TLM Marine was selected for its capability to withstand side and edge loads, its proven resistance to seawater, and its ability to operate, un-lubricated. These inherent characteristics have been utilized by marine engineers for many years, and Orkot Marine Bearings composites are used in applications throughout boat building, related maritime and offshore sectors, including sub-sea applications. Being manufactured from a unique composition of reinforced woven fabric and solid lubricants, within a thermosetting resin matrix, Orkot Marine Bearings composites are able to cope with extremes of temperature. Hopefully the team has selected the optimum design configuration to enable them to achieve the best sailing speed and stability, in all sea conditions. More on the Volvo 70’s, TEAM ABN AMRO and their progress in the Volvo Ocean Race can be seen by visiting: www.volvooceanrace.org

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