BEARINGS

INTRODUCTION

Calle Can Nadal s/n Nave 1-A +34 938 63 42 50

08185 Lliça de Vall mk4@mekano4.com
Barcelona – Spain www.mekano4.com
INDEX

1. Types of Bearings
2. Bearings Comparison
3. Types and Components
4. Manufacturing
5. Design and Calculation
6. Installation
7. References
8. CE Certificate
TYPES OF BEARINGS

REINFORCED ELASTOMERIC BEARING

Pad made of elastomeric rubber reinforced with steel

plates
TYPES OF BEARINGS

POT Bearing

Elastomeric disc confined in a steel pot.

TYPES OF BEARINGS

Spherical bearing

Sliding surfaces combined to permit

movements and rotations
TYPES OF BEARINGS

Incremental Launching Bearing

BRIDGE
ELASTOMER vs CONCRETE
ELASTOMER/PTFE PAD PTFE vs STAINLESS STEEL

POTL

Pot bearing adapted to work during deck launching,

and during normal service life
TYPES OF BEARINGS

Smart Structural Bearing

Sensors system installed in the structure and bearings

to know the exact situation in real time from anywhere
PRODUCT

1. Types of Bearings
2. Bearings Comparison
3. Types and Components
4. Manufacturing
5. Design and Calculation
6. Installation
7. References
8. CE Certificate
BEARINGS COMPARISON

Elastomeric Pot Spherical

Normative EN-1335-3 or AASHTO EN-1337-5 or AASHTO EN-1337-7 or AASHTO

Lower when small Lower when bigger
Cost Low*
loads loads
Dimensions Bigger Medium Middle-small
Medium (limited by High (can be limited
Concrete Pressure Medium-Low
elastomeric pad) by substructure)

Vertical Forces Medium-Low High High

Horizontal Forces Medium-Low Medium-High High
Rotations <30 mRad <30 mRad Unlimited
Energy disipation High Medium Low

Dimension limits (CE marking) 1200x1200 1500 1200x1200

Steel Painting
Maintenance Steel Painting Steel Painting
Rubber Durability
N/A
Painting system (except anchoring UNE-EN ISO 12944 UNE-EN ISO 12944
plates)
Maximum Corrosion Protection N/A C5M (marine) C5M (marine)

Sensitivity to Construction Errors Low Medium Medium-Low

Min. Temperature -25ºC -40ºC -35ºC
Max. Temperature 50ºC 50ºC 50ºC
Guarantee (years) 10 years 10 years 10 years
Service Life 20 years* >50 years >50 years
Applied since year 1850 1950 1950
 BEARINGS COMPARISON

Additional considerations.

• Bearing size and/or durability is determined by the envelope of sliding material, corrosion protection, sealing
materials, and concrete quality. Increasing any of said elements without improving the others adds no service
life nor reduces the size.

• Higher allowable pressures on the sliding material do not lead to a minor bearing size as the concrete has a
maximum pressure allowable.

• Horizontal forces have to be taken into account in the design of the maximum allowable pressure of a bearing
as they lead to a momentum which in turn increases the pressure.
 BEARINGS COMPARISON

Additional considerations.

• Sliding materials have very little impact on bearing maintenance.

• The maintenance schedule of a bearing is determined by the less durable property: corrosion, this affects all
kind of bearings involving structural steel. The most common maintenance activity is visual inspection,
precisely to spot corrosion in its earliest possible stage.

• PTFE guarantee a minimum of 50 years of use with 281 mm of total movement each day (11 mm/hour), to a
limit of 20,000 m of accumulated movement. This can be higher with high quality PTFE if required.

• Painting systems for UK following National Specifications are also available

PRODUCT

1. Types of Bearings
2. Bearings Comparison
3. Types and Components
4. Manufacturing
5. Design and Calculation
6. Installation
7. References
8. CE Certificate
BEARING TYPES AND COMPONENTS

Bearing Types according to Movement

Free Bearing  Movement in any direction

Guided Bearing  One direction

Fixed Bearing  Fixes the superstructure (no movement)

BEARING TYPES AND COMPONENTS

PM -- Free Pot Bearing

Sliding Plate
Stainless steel
sheet
PTFE
Piston

Rubber pad

Pot
BEARING TYPES AND COMPONENTS

PM -- Free Pot Bearing

BEARINGS TYPES AND COMPONENTS

PG/PT -- Guided Pot Bearing

Sliding Plate

Stainless steel
sheet
PTFE

Piston/Guide

Rubber pad

Pot
BEARINGS TYPES AND COMPONENTS

PG -- Guided Pot Bearing

BEARINGS TYPES AND COMPONENTS

PF -- Fixed Pot Bearing

Piston/Upper plate
Rubber pad

Pot
BEARINGS TYPES AND COMPONENTS

PF, Fixed Pot Bearings

BEARINGS TYPES AND COMPONENTS
BEARINGS TYPES AND COMPONENTS
BEARINGS TYPES AND COMPONENTS
BEARINGS TYPES AND COMPONENTS
PRODUCT

1. Types of Bearings
2. Bearings Comparison
3. Types and Components
4. Manufacturing
5. Design and Calculation
6. Installation
7. References
8. CE Certificate
BEARINGS MANUEFACTURING

COMPANY PROJECT PROJECT

PREQUALIFICATION MATERIALS QUALITY
PLAN

QUALITY ASSURANCE PLANNING

BEARINGS MANUEFACTURING

MACHININ PAINTING
G

ASSEMBLY

PRODUCTION PROCESS
BEARINGS MANUEFACTURING

DIMENSION VERIFIED MILL DECLARATION OF

S CHECK CERTIFICATE PERFORMANCE

TESTING ACC. TO SPECIFICATIONS

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESS

PRODUCT

1. Types of Bearings
2. Bearings Comparison
3. Types and Components
4. Manufacturing
5. Design and Calculation
6. Installation
7. References
8. CE Certificate
BEARINGS DESIGN AND CALCULATION

Finite Element Model

BEARINGS DESIGN AND CALCULATION

Finite Element
POT AND SPHERICAL CALCULATION Model
PROCEDURE

• Load and displacement determination

o SLS
o ULS
o ALS?
• Determine diameter of the sliding surface
• Determine thickness of the elastomer pad (pots) and bottom thickness
• Determine thickness of the side of concave plate
• Determine dimensions of the stainless steel sheet (free and guided bearings)
• Determine thickness of the horizontal restrain (guided and fixed bearings)
• Determine size, amount, and distribution of the connection to the structure
PRODUCT

1. Types of Bearings
2. Bearings Comparison
3. Types and Components
4. Manufacturing
5. Design and Calculation
6. Installation
7. References
8. CE Certificate
BEARINGS INSTALLATION

Rondo Ofiar Katynia, Kraków (Poland)

BEARINGS INSTALLATION

Rondo Ofiar Katynia, Kraków (Poland)

BEARINGS INSTALLATION

Rondo Ofiar Katynia, Kraków (Poland)

BEARINGS INSTALLATION

Rondo Ofiar Katynia, Kraków (Poland)

BEARINGS INSTALLATION

Third Millenium Bridge, Saragossa (Spain)

BEARINGS INSTALLATION

Other examples
PRODUCT

1. Types of Bearings
2. Bearings Comparison
3. Types and Components
4. Manufacturing
5. Design and Calculation
6. Installation
7. References
8. CE Certificate
PROJECT REFERENCES: AGHNAGUIG

Aghnaguig Bridge, UK, 2012

Vertical Load = 42.000 kN
Diameter of 1’3 meters
Pot Bearing – 6 units
PROJECT REFERENCES; EAST BAY LINK (UK)

East Bay Link Project, UK, 2016

Vertical Load = 4,360 kN
Diameter of 0,5 meters
Pot Bearing – 168 units
PROJECT REFERENCES: FORTH CROSSING (UK)
PROJECT REFERENCES: FORTH CROSSING (UK)
PROJECT REFERENCES: THIRD MILLENIUM BRIDGE (SPAIN)

Third Millenium Bridge

82,000 kN Pot Bearings
Diameter: 2.035m.
PROJECT REFERENCES: ABBAS IBN FIRNAS VIADUCT (SPAIN)

Acceso Aeropuerto Córdoba,

Córdoba (Spain)
Fixed POT Bearing:
Vertical Load = 107.000 kN
PROJECT REFERENCES: NERVION VIADUCT(SPAIN)

Vto. sobre el río Nervión, País Vasco (Spain)

Guided POT Bearing:
Vertical Load = 85.000 kN
Horizontal Load = 9.500 kN
PROJECT REFERENCES: EBRO BRIDGE (SPAIN)

ILM POT Bearings

Bridge over
the Ebro River
Zaragoza (Spain)
PROJECT REFERENCES: PETRA TOU ROMIOUBRIDGE (CYPRUS)
SPECIAL PROJECT: BEARINGS REPLACEMENT AT GULF BRIDGE (SAUDI ARABIA)

Gulf Bridge, Ryadh (Saudi Arabia)

Guided POT Bearing:
2 symmetrical decks
Non replaceable components, broken anchoring
REFERENCES IN SCIENTIFIC PRESS
PRODUCT

1. Types of Bearings
2. Bearings Comparison
3. Types and Components
4. Manufacturing
5. Design and Calculation
6. Installation
7. References
8. CE Certificate
CE CERTIFICATE
Calle Can Nadal s/n Nave 1-A
08185 Lliça de Vall
Barcelona – Spain

+34 938 63 42 50
mk4@mekano4.com
www.mekano4.com