Raybestos-Raymark Asbestos Woven Brake Tape

Product Description

Raybestos-Raymark manufactured asbestos woven brake tape as part of its broad line of friction and braking products sold throughout much of the twentieth century. The company, operating under various corporate names including Raybestos Manhattan and later Raymark Industries, was one of the dominant producers of asbestos-based friction materials in the United States. Woven brake tape represented a specific category within that product line, designed for use in industrial braking systems where controlled friction and heat resistance were essential operational requirements.

Unlike molded or pressed brake components, woven brake tape was produced through a textile manufacturing process. Asbestos fibers were spun into yarn and then woven into a flat, continuous tape or strip that could be wrapped around brake drums, brake bands, or other friction surfaces. The woven construction gave the tape mechanical flexibility, allowing it to conform to curved braking surfaces and be fastened or bonded in place. The tape was sold in rolls or cut lengths and applied across a wide range of industrial equipment including cranes, hoists, winches, elevators, conveyor systems, and heavy manufacturing machinery.

Raybestos-Raymark marketed these products to industrial buyers across multiple sectors. The tape could be found wherever large mechanical systems required reliable stopping power under high-load or high-heat conditions. Its durability and heat tolerance — properties derived directly from the asbestos content — made it a preferred choice for facility maintenance engineers and equipment operators for decades.

Asbestos Content

Asbestos was not incidental to woven brake tape — it was the primary structural and functional material. The woven construction required asbestos fiber to be processed into a spinnable yarn, which was then woven on industrial looms to form the tape substrate. Chrysotile asbestos was commonly used in such products due to its long, flexible fiber structure, which was well-suited to textile spinning processes. In some formulations, amphibole asbestos varieties were also incorporated or were present as contaminants within chrysotile stock.

The finished tape consisted largely of asbestos fiber bound together through the weave structure, sometimes with wire reinforcement woven into the body of the tape to provide additional tensile strength and to prevent the tape from unraveling during installation or use. Binders, resins, or friction-modifying compounds were sometimes applied as surface treatments or coatings. However, the core material throughout the product’s functional life remained the woven asbestos matrix.

Raymark Industries’ own internal corporate records, as well as litigation and trust fund documentation, confirm that asbestos-containing friction products including brake tapes were central to the company’s manufacturing operations across multiple production facilities. The asbestos content in woven brake tape made it subject to the regulatory frameworks that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s under OSHA and EPA authority, including AHERA and related asbestos hazard standards.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers encountered asbestos woven brake tape at several stages: manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and removal. Each stage carried distinct exposure risks.

Manufacturing workers at Raybestos-Raymark production facilities handled raw asbestos fiber in bulk quantities. Carding, spinning, and weaving operations generated airborne fiber at concentrations that exceeded what is now recognized as safe under OSHA’s current permissible exposure limit of 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter of air. Workers in weaving rooms and finishing areas were exposed repeatedly over the course of their employment.

Maintenance and installation workers in industrial facilities applied brake tape to equipment during scheduled maintenance or emergency repairs. Installing the tape required cutting it to length, drilling or punching attachment holes, and fitting it tightly around brake drums and bands. Each of these tasks disturbed the woven asbestos structure and could release fiber into the surrounding air. Workers performing this work in enclosed machinery rooms, elevator shafts, or crane cabs had limited ventilation and often no respiratory protection.

Brake adjustment and inspection required workers to examine worn tape, assess remaining material thickness, and tighten or realign the tape on braking surfaces. Worn tape that had degraded through friction use was particularly friable and prone to releasing fiber when touched or disturbed.

Removal and replacement of spent brake tape was among the highest-exposure tasks. Workers pulled worn tape from brake assemblies, often breaking apart brittle, heat-damaged sections. Debris from old asbestos tape accumulated on machinery components and surrounding surfaces, creating secondary exposure hazards for any worker in the area — including those not directly performing brake work.

Because industrial brake systems required periodic service throughout the lifespan of the equipment, workers in plant maintenance roles could encounter Raybestos-Raymark brake tape repeatedly across years or decades of employment. Co-workers, including equipment operators and facility custodians working near maintenance activities, were also subject to bystander exposure.

Asbestos-related diseases documented in connection with friction product exposure include mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related conditions. These diseases typically have latency periods of ten to fifty years between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis, meaning workers exposed to asbestos brake tape during peak industrial use in the mid-twentieth century may be receiving diagnoses today.

Raymark Industries filed for bankruptcy in 1988 following the accumulation of substantial asbestos liability from decades of friction product manufacturing. The bankruptcy process resulted in the establishment of the Raymark Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust, which was created to compensate individuals harmed by asbestos-containing products manufactured and sold by Raymark Industries and its predecessor entities, including Raybestos-Raymark.

The Raymark Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust accepts claims from individuals diagnosed with qualifying asbestos-related diseases who can demonstrate exposure to Raymark products, including asbestos woven brake tape. Eligible claimants typically include workers with direct occupational exposure as well as, in some cases, household members exposed through secondhand fiber brought home on work clothing.

Recognized claim categories within the trust generally include:

  • Mesothelioma — the highest-tier category, reflecting the severity and near-universal asbestos causation of this malignancy
  • Lung cancer — eligible with documented asbestos exposure history and qualifying occupational criteria
  • Asbestosis — chronic scarring lung disease requiring documented radiological and clinical findings
  • Other asbestos-related conditions — including pleural disease meeting trust eligibility thresholds

Individuals filing claims with the Raymark Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust must submit medical documentation of diagnosis, an exposure history identifying Raymark products, and supporting occupational records where available. Trust claims are processed independently of the civil court system, though some claimants pursue parallel litigation against other solvent defendants whose products also contributed to their exposure history.

Workers, former workers, or surviving family members who believe they have been harmed by exposure to Raybestos-Raymark asbestos woven brake tape should consult with a qualified asbestos attorney to evaluate trust fund eligibility and identify all potentially responsible parties. Trust filing deadlines and procedural requirements vary, and timely action is important to preserve claim rights.