pot bearings

Bridge & Bearing Engineers

Introduction

Pot Bearings are structural bearings which support vertical and horizontal loads and permit limited rotation about any horizontal
axis and have, therefore, an extremely wide range of applications.
They can be designed and manufactured for practically any load in a temperature range between 20C and 50C and have
actually been tested for vertical loads up to 10.000 tons.
Our company, BBE, has the special "know-how" and hands-on or of many years of practical and theoretical experience in the
field of Bridge Bearings.
Throughout the years we have experienced the problems of designers, engineers on site and contractors and thus are in the
most favourable position to resolve the problems in the most appropriate way.
BBEs Technical Department has engineers with the relevant expertise and experience to assist with the selection of the
appropriate bearing for a given application as well as providing the best solution for the clients specific requirements.
In order to resolve any special problems our clients may be faced with, we have developed special software for optimising the
design of Pot Bearings and other bearing types.
We are also equipped with sophisticated FE-software to successfully resolve any unusual problems that may arise.
Since we appreciate the importance of simplicity, clarity and ease of use, we reiterate that we can offer both: the simple,
standardized series of products and also the highly sophisticated customised solutions for specific problems.
This brochure is intended to provide a quick and expedient reference and guide for designers, engineers and contractors alike.

Basic Types

Basically, pot bearings are very flat point rocker bearings which can accommodate rotation in all directions with relatively
low eccentricity. The rotation should normally not exceed 0,006 rad. (In case of a rotation over 0,01 rad upto 0,02 rad special
rubber pads can be used.)
For the basic requirements, which account for almost 80% of the total quantity, we has designed a complete range of Pot
Bearings which can be adapted to accommodate all allowable concrete pressures by using distribution plates to spread
the vertical load to the desired value. These distribution plates could also be procured locally.
Additionally, this solution provides more flexibility by simplifying replacement and temporary bearing designs.
The philosophy behind our design principles is to combine maximum flexibility with maximum economy.
The design makes use of modern techniques, such as FE calculations and analysis of test results to find the technically best
solution whilst also taking into account the economic considerations.
For our principal range of Pot Bearings we use the following design parameters. The bearings are designed for SLS
(Serviceability Limit State) allowing for material factor of 1.05 on the yield limit and ULS (Ultimate Limit State) with a factor
of 1,1 on the ultimate strength.The materials used for the different components of the bearing are the following:

Pot, Piston and Sliding Plate:

S355J2G3 (ST52)

Fy= 355 N/mm 2 ;Fu= 510N/mm 2

All remaining steel items:

S235J2G3 (ST37)

Fy= 235 N/mm 2 ; Fu= 360N/mm 2

Elastomeric pad:

Natural rubber acording to BS 5400, Section 9.2

Stainless steel sheets:

Stainless steel acording to BS 5400, Section 9.2

PTFE:

Bridge bearing quality of white virgin dimpled

PTFE, thickness 4,5 to 6 mm.

The maximum load capacity (ULS) of the bearing is reached if one item in the bearing reaches the ultimate stress. The SLS
capacity is limited by allowable deformations of the overall bearing.
If we do not receive all necessary load combinations, we assume the values listed in the table below.

Load Case

vert. Load V

Hres

Remarks

Vmax

Rv

0.1*Rv

Hres varies 15% of Rv

Vmin

0.5*Rv

0.15*Rv

Dead load

0.7*Rv

0.05*Rv

for concrete bridges

Hmax

0.7* Rv

0.2*Rv

Hres varies 15% of Rv

Note: defined items take precedence over the assumed values

Designs

Sliding plate

Stainless steel
PTFE
Piston
Seal
Elastomeric pad
Pot

Schematic Pot Bearings

PF

Fixed Pot Bearings (PF)

These are immovable bearings which can accommodate horizontal forces.

PG or PT

Guided Pot Bearings (PG or PT)

These bearings are movable in one direction (longitudinally-PG or transversally-PT) and can accommodate horizontal forces
perpendicular to this direction. They are combined with a guided sliding device. This device consists of a guide and a PTFE
sheet with a mating sliding surface of a stainless steel sheet attached to a sliding plate which can be on the lower side
against the substructure or on the top against the bridge deck..

PM

Multidirectional Pot Bearings (PM)

These bearings are movable in all direction but cannot accommodate horizontal forces. They are combined with a
multidirectional sliding device. This device consists of a PTFE sheet with a mating sliding surface of a stainless steel
sheet attached to a sliding plate which can be on the lower side against the substructure or on the top against the
bridge deck.

I LM

ILM-Bearings

Incremental launching for bridges combines the advantage of on-site concrete with prefabricated elements.
Bearings for incremental launched bridges have a dual function: Firstly they provide low friction sliding
surfaces over piers as the superstructure is pushed during construction. Thereafter they become permanent
bearings for the completed bridge.

Types:
ILM - Fixed Pot Bearing
ILM - Guided / Transversal Pot Bearing
ILM - Multidirectional Pot Bearing

Quality Control
BBE Pot Bearings are based on the latest developments in
bearing engineering and are made with high-grade machined
components.
BBE and all their sub-suppliers are subject to a strict qualitycontrol system as a part of the ISO 9001/EN 29002
certification.
The quality of the BBE bearing production is continuously
monitored by independent testing laboratories and internal
quality control complies with established international
standards.
Quality control procedures and other verifications are applied
throughout the production phase for materials, workmanship
and the finished product to ensure that the components
satisfy the relevant standards:

Materials

Workmanship

Finished product

MATERIALS
At the order stage the quality requirements are specified and prior to delivery a
works certificate to DIN 3.1.B or equivalent is
issued.
Upon arrival in the works the materials are
checked against the agreed specifications.

WORKMANSHIP
Each bearing is monitored by a control sheet
where all checked dimensions are recorded
with date and signature of the responsible
quality control engineer.

The quality control system is organised in accordance with ISO

REQUIREMENTS.

FINISHED PRODUCT
For new type of bearings,tests are performed both in-house and externally at official
testing laboratories.

In addition, BBE engineers are available to provide technical advice relative

to quality standards of the interfaces, bearing installation, cement joint forming,
bearing plinth design, etc.

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