Bearing Pads
Bearing Pads
(OP)
I have a condition where I have a heavily loaded concrete retaining/basement wall which bears against the vertical surface of a concrete beam/slab. I want to place a bearing pad along the length of the wall (about 60'). The applied service load is 8.2K/Ft. It has been a long time since I sized a pad for this condition.
Will a 3/8" thick x 8" wide x continuous fiber reinforced neoprene bearing pad with a hardness of 80 work or is it an overkill?
Will a 3/8" thick x 8" wide x continuous fiber reinforced neoprene bearing pad with a hardness of 80 work or is it an overkill?






RE: Bearing Pads
RE: Bearing Pads
The LRFD Bridge Design specs give a service load compression limit of 0.8 ksi for PEP and FGP, so to answer your question - yes, 3/8" x 8" FGP would be major overkill for that loading.
RE: Bearing Pads
If we are comparing this application to that of a bridge girder, do you need to consider replacement of the bearing pad after a certain amount of time (say 50 years)?
RE: Bearing Pads
As to replacement, we only consider fatigue for the steel shims in steel reinforced bearings. A PEP should not have a fatigue problem, and there are not any degradation problems that I am aware of from prolonged exposure to concrete, steel or sunlight. If there are other environmental concerns at the site, those should be addressed with the manufacturer.
RE: Bearing Pads