Bearings & Wear Parts

TENMAT SUPPORTING THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION 

Volunteers are the heart of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and there are 40,000 in the UK - on lifeboats, at stations, on beaches, and in fundraising.

The RNLI has saved more than 139,000 lives since its foundation in 1824. The charity was founded, with royal patronage, as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck after an appeal made by Sir William Hillary who lived in Douglas on the Isle of Man, and had witnessed the wrecking of dozens of ships from his home.

The name was changed to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1854, and cork lifejackets were first issued to crew members in the same year.

Slipway stations

In locations where the only way to launch a lifeboat is over rocks or where there is a large tidal range, a slipway can be used. The launch is rapid but, on return from a service, the lifeboat must be carefully reversed to the bottom of the slipway and a cable attached before being winched back up into position ready for the next launch. TENMAT Feroform F21 is specified due to both its frictional properties and wear characteristics. It is important to be able to winch the boat back up the slipway easily and also to have a material with sufficient wear life. It is also suitable to work in a saline environment.

There are approximately 15 stations of this type in the UK and TENMAT are specified to provide the slipway pads. The characteristics of TENMAT Feroform F21 make it an excellent material for the application.

by Julian Greenhalgh