Title: Short Time Field Measurements on Bearings of a Steel Bridge

Author(s): J. F. W. Muller-Rochholz, M. Fiebrich, and M. and M. Breitbach

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 94

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 453-464

Keywords: bridge bearings; deformation; loads (forces); measurement; measuring instruments; moving loads; pressure gages; Structural Research

DOI: 10.14359/1667

Date: 9/1/1986

Abstract:
A research program was proposed and granted by the ministry of transport of the Federal Republic of Germany to obtain reliable information concerning the pressures, displacements, and sliding velocities that cause wear on the PTFE slide surfaces of pot bearings. The vertical loading and longitudinal movement due to traffic loading and daily temperature variation were measured on a steel bridge of the German highway system. The objectives of this investigation were: to measure the individual movements as a function of time due to service load to compute sliding velocity of the bridge on the bearing; to characterize the movements of the bearing with the classified slide-friction velocity; and to measure the loads on bearings. The instrumentation (including a special device for monitoring the loads on bearings) and the method of evaluation are described in the paper. Results are given in the form of single occurrence records, accumulated displacement bar graphs, and a matrix of pressure versus sliding velocity.