SPHERICAL BEARINGS

DEFINITION

Spherical bearings are structural bearings for bridges (road and railway) capable of absorbing vertical and horizontal loads, transverse movements and rotations. They are characterized by their high resistance and by allowing large rotations.

Its design is made in such a way that the upper face of the internal steel plate is a concave spherical surface capable of rotating, while the face is a convex spherical surface covered with a layer of sliding material with a special lubrication that allows rotations.

They can also be combined with sliding elements, thus being multidirectional bearings, which if combined with guides in one of the directions of the x-y plane become guided in this case.

  • Spherical bearings are widely used in those railway structures with large loads.
  • They are more resistant to aging, they have a smaller size than the pot support needs, due to new sliding materials.
  • They are very resistant to corrosion. Suitable for desert climates, their useful life is very long, they can be pre-configured in both rotation and displacement.
  • They do not need maintenance.

TYPES OF SPHERICAL BEARINGS

Like encapsulated bearings (POT), SPHERICAL bearings can be fixed, guided or free.

  • They transmit vertical forces, allow rotations, allow displacements in any direction of the horizontal plane.
  • They transmit vertical forces, allow rotations, allow displacements in only one of the two axes of the horizontal plane, but restrict them in the opposite direction.
  • They transmit vertical forces, allow rotations, but do not allow displacements in the xy plane, that is, in the horizontal plane.

COMPONENTS AND MATERIALS OF THE SPHERICAL BEARINGS

  • Interbuna spherical bearings are manufactured with rubber, steel, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and ultra molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW), as basic materials.
  • The spherical bearings consist of stainless steel that slides on the low-friction material.
  • The spherical bearings have sealing rings.
  • The guides and locks are made of high quality steel.
  • These bearings consist of microporous EPDM rubber dust sheets.

QUALITY AND CERTIFICATES

  • Interbuna's SPHERICAL bearings comply with European regulations on structural bearings EN 1337-7, although, at the customer's request, we can manufacture them under other international standards and certifications.
  • We are committed to quality to be able to adapt our products to the highest demands that our customers may need. That is why we have a testing laboratory within the factory and we subject our products to a very demanding Quality Assurance System (SAC).

SPECS

  • SPHERICAL bearings for large infrastructures are used for very high loads, as are POT (encapsulated) bearings. The big difference (and main advantage) is that the latter allow greater rotations. Otherwise, their characteristics and materials are similar.
  • They allow large horizontal movements.
  • They are better adapted to large rotations.
  • The friction coefficient is very small.
  • They are more suitable for low temperature areas.
  • Its high-resistance stainless steel increases its durability.
  • Its long-term cost is lower.
    • The maximum recommended compression load is 150 Kg/cm², depending on the measurements of the bearing.
    • It is not recommended that the maximum decrease in height of the support derived from vertical and horizontal loads exceeds 3mm.
    • Horizontal displacement, in permanent deformations, does not apply to this type of bearing as a limiting requirement, if it conforms to the design.
    • Its vertical load capacity is not affected by its rotation capacity.
  • Its size is determined based on the following criteria:
    • Maximum vertical force
    • Maximum supported displacement
    • Allowable rotation
    • Working temperature, thermal amplitude.
    • Maximum horizontal force
    • Acceptable efforts in the bearings.
    • The calculation can be based on different standards: EN1337 Euronorm, BS5400 (British), AASHTO (American), MCV5 (Chilean)

INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE

The installation and maintenance of Interbuna spherical bearings is carried out in the same way as that of POT bearings.

PROJECTS

OUR FLEXIBILITY GOES FAR:
LEARN ABOUT THE PROJECTS WE HAVE ALREADY CARRIED OUT
IN MORE THAN 30 COUNTRIES.

See the projects

CONTACT

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If you want to know how we can help you or have any questions about our products or services, write to us. We will study your case to design the solution that best suits your project.

A Cacesa commercial that emerged in the late 90s
with a clearly international character and basically focused
in elastomeric bearing and expansion joints for bridges.

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