Bridge Bearing Plate
Bridge Bearing Plate
Discover our plain bearings: Flange bearings, sleeve bushings, and thrust washers. Customizable bushing materials available. Our products are wear-resistant, maintenance-free, and designed to withstand dirt, dust, and corrosion.
Double-Sided Grinding Oil-Free Linear Sliding Plate, Copper Alloy, Bridge bearing plates
Custom-sized, solid bronze bearing plates are specialized components designed to reduce friction and wear in various mechanical and industrial applications. These plates are made from bronze alloys, which are known for their excellent anti-friction properties, strength, hardness, and machinability. The use of solid bronze bearing plates is widespread across different industries, including automotive, earth moving machinery, pumps, cylinders, machine tools, and general-purpose applications.
C91100 ASTM B22/ C911 High Tin Bronze Plate
C91100 Bronze per ASTM B22 is a high tin bronze alloy. With a nominal chemical composition of 84 percent Copper and 16 percent Tin.
ASTM B22 C91100 High Tin Bronze Plates with Dual Slots for Bridge Applications
Our C91100 Tin Bronze Bridge Plates, featuring custom-engineered graphite plugging, are designed, tested, and utilized in numerous significant bridge and highway projects. These bridge wear plates are crafted exclusively from ASTM B-22 C91100 bronze, a material renowned for its robustness in bridge applications.
Extended Wear Life with Bronze Components
Our bronze components are specifically engineered to extend wear life in demanding structural environments. The C91100 Tin Bronze Plate, also known as Bridge Plate, is available in substantial blocks and can be tailored to your precise dimensions.
What is ASTM B22 Bronze?
ASTM B22 bronze, specifically the C91100 grade, is recognized for its high tin content, enhancing its strength and wear resistance. This alloy is typically produced on a made-to-order basis, ensuring each plate meets exacting standards for specific bridge wear applications.
Dual Certification for Quality Assurance
Our plates are dual-certified under both ASTM B505 and ASTM B22 standards, reflecting our commitment to quality and adaptability. Whether your project demands small components or large blocks, our casting process can accommodate various sizes, specifications, and quantities.
Comprehensive Design and Manufacturing Solutions
As a recognized design and manufacturing firm, we offer a diverse array of bronze bridge wear plate products. Available in grades C86300, C90500, and C91100, our plates are tailored to meet the unique demands of each project.
For custom engineering solutions that require the utmost in durability and precision, trust our expertise in ASTM B-22 C91100 Bronze for bridge wear applications.
Bridge bearing plates are critical components in bridge construction and maintenance, serving as interfaces between the bridge superstructure and its substructure. These plates facilitate controlled movements and rotations of the bridge structure, accommodating various forces and displacements such as thermal expansion and contraction, seismic activity, and live load effects. The design and selection of bridge bearings are influenced by the bridge‘s structural requirements, material properties, and the specific types of movements that need to be accommodated.
- Type: Oil-Free Linear Sliding Plate
- Shape: Straight Type
- Material: Copper Alloy
- Grinding Surface: Double-Sided Grinding
- Mounting Hole Design: Tapered Hole, Countersunk Hole
- Size Selection: Customizable
- Available Thicknesses: 3mm, 5mm, 10mm
The Vital Role of Bridge Bearings
Bridge bearings are essential structural elements that facilitate the transfer of loads from the bridge superstructure to its substructure. More importantly, they accommodate relative movements between these structures, which can include both rotational and translational motions, as well as horizontal and transverse directions. By allowing controlled movement, these bearings significantly reduce the stress that such motion can cause.
C86300 Manganese Bronze: The Material of Choice
C86300 Manganese Bronze is chosen for its remarkable ability to withstand heavy loads, especially in scenarios involving slow movement. This alloy boasts an impressive tensile strength of 110 ksi and a high yield strength of 62 ksi, alongside notable resistance to corrosion. These properties make it ideal for use in bridge bearings, where durability under significant load is a must.
Innovative Design: Graphite Plugged Bronze Plates
The design of these bronze bearing plates is a testament to engineering innovation. Drilled and then plugged with solid lubricant graphite, these plates ensure smooth operation. The graphite plugs account for 30 percent of the total surface area, arranged in an overlapping geometric pattern aligned with the direction of movement. This thoughtful arrangement, coupled with four countersunk mounting holes and a central hole, facilitates easy installation and efficient operation.
Maintenance-free operation with Graphite Plugs
One of the standout features of these bearing plates is their maintenance-free design. The incorporation of graphite plugs means that there is no need for additional lubrication throughout the bearing’s life. This aspect is particularly beneficial in bridge applications, where maintenance can be costly and disruptive. The graphite-plugged bronze bearing plate thus emerges as an ideal solution for such challenging environments.
To delve deeper into the intricacies of Manganese Bronze Bearing Plates, explore further information on Bronze Wear Plates and Graphite Plugged Bronze Bearings, each contributing to the advancement of bridge construction technology. These components not only ensure the structural integrity of bridges but also pave the way for more efficient and long-lasting construction methodologies.
Innovations in Bridge Construction: The Role of Plugged Bronze Slide Bearing Plates
Bridges are marvels of engineering, symbolizing connection, strength, and resilience. At the heart of modern bridge construction is a component critical yet often overlooked: the Plugged Bronze Slide Bearing Plate. This post delves into the significance of these bearing plates, their construction, and how they revolutionize bridge building.
Understanding the Bronze Slide Bearing Plate
A bridge slide bearing plate is a specialized component designed to manage the forces and movements that a bridge experiences daily. These movements can be due to traffic loads, temperature changes, or even seismic activity. The bearing plate plays a crucial role in accommodating these movements while ensuring the bridge’s structural integrity.
Why Plugged Bronze?
Bronze, specifically plugged bronze, is the material of choice for these bearing plates. Known for its strength and durability, bronze withstands the harsh conditions typical in bridge environments. The unique aspect of plugged bronze is the integration of graphite plugs within the material. These plugs provide self-lubricating properties, which is essential for the bearing plate’s smooth operation over time.
Design and Features
The design of a Plugged Bronze Slide Bearing Plate is a testament to precision engineering. Typically, these plates are constructed from high-quality bronze alloys, ensuring strength and longevity. The graphite plugs are strategically placed to facilitate lubrication, significantly reducing the maintenance needs of the bridge bearing system. This design also allows for a controlled and predictable movement of the bridge structure, crucial for safety and durability.
Applications in Bridge Construction
In bridge construction, these bearing plates serve as a pivotal element in the bridge’s expansion and contraction mechanisms. They are particularly crucial in areas with significant temperature fluctuations or seismic activity, where the structural flexibility of the bridge is paramount.
Advantages of Plugged Bronze Slide Bearings
- Durability: Bronze’s resistance to corrosion and general wear makes these bearing plates incredibly long-lasting.
- Reduced Maintenance: The self-lubricating feature of the graphite plugs means less frequent and less costly maintenance.
- Smooth Operation: The plates ensure a smooth sliding movement of the bridge components, essential for handling everyday stress.
Safety: By accommodating natural movements, these bearing plates play a vital role in maintaining the bridge’s structural integrity and safety. C91100 ASTM B22/ C911 High Tin BronzeC91100 Bronze per ASTM B22 is a high tin bronze alloy. With a nominal chemical composition of 84 percent Copper and 16 percent Tin.
Shapes
C903 Tin BronzeC911 Bridge Plate
Applications
C91100 Bronze BushingC91100 Bridge Plate
Piston Rings
Bearings
Bushings
Bridge Plates
Specifications
Chemical Composition of C91100 High Tin Bronze
The following table details the chemical composition limits for C91100 High Tin Bronze, often used in bridge wear plates and other demanding applications. This data is provided courtesy of Copper.org.
Composition Specification:
| Element | Minimum (%) | Maximum (%) | Nominal (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper (Cu)(1) | 82.0 | 85.0 | 83.5 |
| Aluminum (Al) | – | 0.005 | – |
| Antimony (Sb) | – | 0.20 | – |
| Iron (Fe) | – | 0.25 | – |
| Lead (Pb) | – | 0.25 | – |
| Nickel (Ni)(2) | – | 0.50 | – |
| Phosphorus (P)(3) | – | 1.0 (1.5 max for continuous castings) | – |
| Silicon (Si) | – | 0.005 | – |
| Sulfur (S) | – | 0.05 | – |
| Tin (Sn) | 15.0 | 17.0 | 16.0 |
| Zinc (Zn) | – | 0.25 | – |
Notes:
- Copper Calculation: For determining the minimum copper content, copper may be calculated as Copper plus Nickel.
- Nickel Content: The value for nickel includes Cobalt.
- Phosphorus in Continuous Castings: For continuous castings, the maximum phosphorus content is 1.5%.
Additionally, the sum of copper and all named elements must constitute a minimum of 99.4%.
Sliding devices represent the most basic type of bridge bearings, originally comprising just steel sliding against steel. These systems sometimes employ a lubricant between their contact surfaces. However, they are prone to seizing up quickly due to dirt and corrosion. Although lead sheets can mitigate these issues, they tend to displace over time. Self-lubricated bronze plates with graphite inserts offer a robust solution if maintained clean from dirt and dust. More recently, the use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sliding on stainless steel has become prevalent in bridge bearings due to its low friction coefficient, but it also requires protection from contaminants.
In terms of bridge construction materials and devices:
- Bronze plates with graphite inserts and PTFE on stainless steel are common.
- Lubricants such as greases, oils, silicones, tallow, goose grease, and bear grease are used.
- Elastomeric pads are favored for steel and concrete bridges with movements not exceeding 2 to 3 inches (50 to 75 mm).
- Neoprene pot bearings are popular in Europe for long, heavy spans that may experience multi-plane rotations.
- Standard structural items include roller nests and proprietary designs like trepanned bronze plates filled with graphite or porous bronze impregnated with lubricant.
Mechanical devices such as rollers, rockers, gear racks, bronze plates, and pot bearings are anchored into the substructure. If rotation is expected, one side of the bronze plate may be machined to a radius, and often, both sides are lubricated. Alternative designs might incorporate a rocker or pin joint atop the upper plate to accommodate rotation, with the bronze bearing as a flat plate. These self-lubricating bronze bearings are also suitable as bushings in pedestal bearings or rockers, or around the pins of hanger details, boasting friction coefficients ranging from 0.032 to 0.090. For typical girder bearings, the bronze plates are placed between the masonry (lower) and sole (upper) plates, secured to either with the lubricated surface facing the opposing plate. The facing surface must have a machined finish of at least 125 microinches (3.175 micrometers) root mean square (rms). No additional special preparations are necessary, and the edges of the bronze and copper-alloy sliding plates must be chamfered to prevent dirt accumulation and damage to the mating plate.
Bridge bearing plates
Bridge bearing plates are essential for the proper functioning and longevity of bridges, accommodating movements and transferring loads between the superstructure and substructure. The selection of the appropriate type of bearing involves careful consideration of the bridge’s design requirements, expected loads, and environmental conditions.
Types of Bridge bearing plates:
- Elastomeric Bearings: These bearings are crafted from rubber, sometimes enhanced with steel layers, and are engineered to support compression while offering limited movement and rotation capabilities. They are economical, demand minimal upkeep, and are widely recognized as the prevalent Bridge bearing plates type in use today.
- Sliding Bearings: Comprising a smooth sliding surface, these bearings facilitate horizontal movement alongside a spherical surface for rotational motion. They are designed to adapt to the Bridge bearing plates’s dimensional changes due to temperature fluctuations or other influences.
- Spherical Bearings: Designed in a spherical shape, these bearings enable rotation while restricting horizontal and vertical movements. They are particularly useful in scenarios where rotational motion is a primary consideration.
- Mechanical Bearings: This category includes pinned, rocker, and roller bearings, all designed to permit rotational and translational movements. Typically constructed from steel, these bearings are utilized in various configurations to meet the specific movement demands of the bridge.
Functions and Significance:
- Load Distribution: Bridge bearings are pivotal in transferring forces from the bridge’s superstructure to its substructure, encompassing vertical forces (like the weight of the bridge and vehicles) and lateral forces (such as wind and seismic impacts).
- Movement Adaptation: Bearings facilitate controlled movements (both translational and rotational) between the bridge’s superstructure and substructure, accommodating effects like thermal expansion, seismic activities, and other dynamic influences.
- Structural Stability and Safety: Bearings are essential in enabling controlled movements and managing loads, thereby preserving the bridge’s structural integrity and safety, averting excessive stress and potential damage.
Design and Selection Considerations:
- Material Characteristics: The selection of materials (like rubber for elastomeric bearings or steel for mechanical bearings) impacts the bearing’s functionality, longevity, and maintenance needs.
- Movement Types: The specific movements (rotational, translational, or both) that need to be accommodated dictate the choice of bearing type.
- Load Bearing Capacity: Bearings should be engineered to withstand the loads they will face, including the bridge’s own weight and dynamic loads from traffic and environmental conditions.
- Environmental Influences: The design and selection of bearings are influenced by environmental factors such as temperature variations, exposure to water and chemicals, and seismic activity in the vicinity.
The Plugged Bronze Slide Bearing Plate represents a critical advancement in bridge engineering. By combining the durability of bronze with the efficiency of graphite plugs, these bearing plates offer a solution that is both practical and innovative. Their role in ensuring the smooth and safe operation of bridges cannot be overstated, making them an indispensable component in modern bridge construction.
To learn more about these innovative components and their impact on the field of bridge engineering, keep following our blog for updates and insights into the world of advanced construction technologies.
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