Elastomeric Bearing
1. Brief Description :
- (a) Steel bearings are effective but they are vulnerable to corrosion and require regular maintenance. Elastomer as a material for making bridge bearing has been found to satisfy the requirements of accommodating large movements and being relatively maintenance free.
(b) An Elastomer is a rubber like material (natural or synthetic) that can be stretched under low stress and snap back to its original shape upon release of the stress.
(c) If this elastomer is vulcanized (chemical process of heating rubber with sulphur), it can enhance the stiffness, tensile strength and load bearing capacity of the elastomer and it can be successfully used as bridge bearings.
(d) Elastomer can undergo bulging which is one of the causes of its failure. By laminating the elastomer with steel, the bulging of elastomer can be controlled to an extent and such elastomeric bearings are known as reinforced elastomeric bearings.
(e) Elastomeric bearings are the most widely used type of bearing which is economical, easy to replace and install.
2. Advantages :
- (a) Requires minimum maintenance compared to all other bearings.
(b) Installation is easy.
(c) Permits movement of the structure in all directions, depending upon the applied forces.
(d) Occupies small space.
(e) Serves as a shock absorber due to anti-vibration properties of elastomer.
(f) Acts as an aid to better dispersion of longitudinal forces to the approaches.
Fig.: Elastomeric Bearing