Exploring the Sustainable Power of Lignum Vitae
Presented at the 2025 FPS-SWST Joint Convention, this paper investigates how newly harvested Lignum Vitae, a historically renowned hardwood, can replace plastic and oil-lubricated materials in marine bearing applications. The study evaluates Lignum Vitae’s mechanical properties—including compressive strength, wear resistance, and friction behavior—against both historical data and modern synthetic alternatives like polyurethane. The results show that Lignum Vitae not only meets but often exceeds performance standards, offering significantly lower wear rates and strong environmental resilience.
Through rigorous testing, the team found that Lignum Vitae’s natural resins provide self-lubricating benefits, making it particularly well-suited for slow-speed, high-load environments common in marine propulsion. With sustainable forest management now allowing selective harvest, this material offers a viable solution to reduce reliance on plastics and prevent oil pollution in oceans. In fact, large-scale adoption could eliminate up to 29.7 million liters of oil contamination annually while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 3.88 million tons per year.
As part of an ongoing series, this paper lays the groundwork for redefining marine bearing materials—bridging high-performance engineering with real-world environmental impact.