Vibrations, rotations and powerful forces – bridges and superstructures may undergo a turbulent life. MAURER Structural Bearings ensure at any place that these impacts remain as long as possible without consequences. In order to guarantee the quality and longevity of our products, we strive for highest precision, continuous monitoring and close cooperation with the official material testing institutes during the production process.
Bearings transmit vertical and horizontal loads from the superstructure into the bottom structure allowing for rotations and relative displacements where necessary. Depending on their ability to compensate for displacements and transmit horizontal forces, all types of bearings can be divided into:
ELASTOMERIC BEARINGS
MAURER Elastomeric Bearings are available made of natural or chloroprene rubber from in-house production and mixture. The standard design is suitable for operation temperatures between -40°C und +50°C and correlates with the shear modulus class G = 0.90 N/mm² in accordance with EN 1337-3. Upon request, also bearings in accordance with other standards or requirements, e.g. AASHTO, can be delivered. MAURER Elastomeric Bearings with CE marking are also available in combination with PTFE sliding elements or with locking devices.
MSM®/MSA® SPHERICAL BEARINGS
For almost 50 years, MAURER has been the market leader in design and production of spherical bearings. MSM® /MSA® Spherical Bearings enable reaching the smallest possible footprint and allow for high rotations at low friction.
A spherical calotte allows for rotation around all axes with low friction. All sliding surfaces are equipped with the high-performance material MSM®. The displacements are achieved via an MSM® layer sliding on a stainless steel or coated mating surface whilst lateral forces are transmitted by suitable guides.
To achieve low friction coefficients, the MSM® discs are provided with dimples storing grease to guarantee a permanent and continuous lubrication of the sliding surfaces, whilst the mating surfaces are finished with the smallest surface roughness.
Another innovation from MAURER, the MSA® calotte (spherical part), is made from MAURER Sliding Alloy. MSA® is a corrosion resistant material and allows reducing the tolerances compared to a chrome machined calotte surface, thus increasing the lifetime.
POT BEARINGS
The structural rotations are adjusted thanks to an elastomeric pad, which responds with high vertical stiffness and low rotation resistance, confined into a steel pot.
Displacements are adjusted by a PTFE layer sliding on a stainless steel sheet. For guided or fixed bearings, external lateral forces are transmitted by suitable restraints or guides. The durability of the internal seal is a crucial point. Our patented PTFE/carbon internal seal has been tested for 2 km accumulated rotations without wear.
Key characteristics of MAURER Pot Bearings
COMPONENTS
TF
TGA – TGE – TGEQ
SPECIAL BEARINGS
EXPANSION JOINTS
Variations in temperature and traffic load may change the length of larger bridges in the meter range. This is why bridge ends are equipped with a so-called “roadway expansion joint” that can expand and contract. For this purpose, different designs have been developed.
RAILWAY EXPANSION JOINTS
Railway bridges face challenges that significantly differ from those of road bridges. Traffic loads are higher and the ratio between dead weight and traffic load clearly differs from a road bridge.
MAURER Railway Expansion Joints are approved by Deutsche Bahn AG.
ROADWAY EXPANSION JOINTS
MAURER Roadway Expansion Joints are designed for any kind of traffic and, for example, enable creeping and shrinking movements but also movements due to temperature fluctuations. The road expansion joints bridge the structural gap in a roadworthy way. In case of an earthquake, the roadway expansion joint is adjusted to the project-specific seismic displacement.
Key characteristics of roadway expansion joints:
