For a senior project, students from the University of Arizona designed and built a tool to aid in assembling eight-inch ductile iron pipe out of 20-foot, 500-pound pieces of pipe.  The excavating tool clamps on the section of pipe that has already been laid and to the section to be installed while using a hydraulic cylinder to pull the two sections together. The team, comprised of four students, used igubal® pillow block bearings and DryLin® S aluminum shafting donated by igus®.

Igubal pillow blocks are part of igus’ suite of spherical bearing options, which are self-aligning, self-lubricating and maintenance-free. The bearings are also dirt-, dust- and chemical-resistant, making them an ideal choice for the tool, which is predominately used in dirty, dusty trenches.

Igubal pillow blocks and DryLin S aluminum shafting are extremely lightweight compared to metal, bronze or stainless steel alternatives and greatly reduced the weight of the tool. The igus components also enabled proper pipe-alignment, which ensures the piece is cut properly.

“Our team is very thankful to igus and the Y.E.S. Program,” said Donald Davis, a member of the team. “Igus’ commitment to growing engineers is, for lack of a better word, awesome.”