The bridge

A bridge is assumed to be made up of two

major parts namely,
1. Superstructure(track structure, girder/truss and
bearing).
2. Substructure (bed block, pier or abutment and
foundation).

Bridge bearing

A bridge bearing is an element of superstructure which provides an interface

between the superstructure and substructure.
This interface is vital because superstructure undergoes dimensional changes and
deformations due to various factors which are listed as follows:
Thermal expansion/contraction
Elastic deformation under live load
Seismic forces
Creep and shrinkage of concrete
Settlement of supports
Longitudinal forces - tractive/ breaking
Wind loads.
If the movement between the superstructure and substructure are not allowed to
take place freely, large amount of forces may develop in the girder or the
substructure.
If the ability to move is not built into the bridge (span), it will push the supports
until it achieves the freedom required and in the process causing damage to the
supports.
It is, therefore, necessary to permit relative movement between the girders and
the substructure.

 Since the bearing is introduced between superstructure and substructure for

accommodating the various permitted movements, it has to transfer the
entire load from superstructure to the substructure of bridge.
We can say that Bearings assume the functionality of a bridge by allowing
translation and rotation to occur while supporting the vertical loads.
In nutshell, the various functions of bearings can be summarised as given
below:
To allow the permitted movements.
To prevent the not permitted undesirable movements.
To transfer the load from superstructure to substructure.

Design Consideration

Bridge bearing functions require, in essence, a bearing that is very stiff in the
vertical direction, and soft in the lateral directions and in rotation.
Stiffness, in contrast, depends upon both modulus and on the geometry of a
specimen or structure. Modulus can be determined under static or dynamic test
conditions.
Shape factor (SF) is an important consideration in design of rubber products such
as bridge bearings and earthquake mounts. SF, the ratio of the area of one loaded
face and the total area free to bulge in a bonded rubber-metal composite,
By appropriately using the shape factor in product design, the stiffness of rubber
mounts can range over several orders of magnitude.
The stiffness in compression may be made many times larger than the shear
stiffness by using a pad of high shape factor. Rotational stiffness may be kept small
by limiting the lateral dimensions.
Simple rubber pads have been used as bridge bearings for a hundred years, but
their capacity is limited because the maximum shear strain possible without the
pad slipping or curling at the leading and trailing edges is about 0.5.

 Thick pads cannot be used because they would be too soft in the vertical
direction.
The introduction in the late 1950 s of steel-laminated rubber bearings
enabled the widespread replacement of traditional mechanical bearings.
The sandwich construction of the steel-laminated bearing (Fig. 10.13)
provides high stiffness and load-carrying capacity in the vertical direction
because the shape factor of each rubber layer is high. At the same time,
the deformation capacity of the bearing in shear is not affected.

Adhesion is very important consideration when combining rubber with a range of substrates to
form composites such as rubber-metal. Because adhesion reliability is paramount in different
physical and chemical environments.

Adhesion of rubber to the steel plates essentially prevents shrinkage of the rubber in the plane
of the rigid plates. Hence, nearly all shrinkage occurs in the vertical direction, namely
perpendicular to the plane of the plates. Because of this, a designer must account for this
anisotropic shrinkage in mold design calculations.

Damping, an important property in many rubber applications, results in the conversion of

mechanical energy into heat when rubber is deformed.

Ozone cracks are unable to penetrate very far in large rubber components such as bridge
bearings, because they soon encounter compressive rather than tensile stresses. Thus, ozone
cracking is less of a problem for rubber articles that are used in compression. Nevertheless, it is
good practice to avoid ozone cracking by using protective waxes and/or antiozonants in the
rubber compound, as ozone cracks are unsightly and can initiate fatigue crack growth that
ultimately can lead to failure.

Stiffness change in a bridge bearing with aging is a concern, just as it is with any rubber product
in long-term service. The average shear stiffnesses of two bridge bearings in service in England
for 38 years was only 7% greater than the stiffness observed for an original prototype. Tests on
rubber specimens prepared from a sectioned bearing showed acceptable tensile properties in
the bulk of the aged bearing.

This favorable aging behavior is partly due to the relatively high shape factors, typically about six,
for bridge bearings. The high shape factor minimizes the exposure of the interior rubber to
oxygen and ozone, thus favoring a long bearing life.

 The flow table of design given at Table 5.1 has

been prepared to simplify the design process
and eliminate trial and error approach. It is
expected that the number of iterations
required for successful design will be
minimum if this sequence of steps is followed