Repair of elastomeric bearing. 1

[Roadbridge]

Is there any way a damage elastomeric bearing can be repaired? One of these bearing fell from the abutment this morning and burst on impacted when it hit the ground some 10 metres below.

The contractors Site agent is of the opinion that it can be repaired, but I have my doubts. He says he needs to use this bearing to meet his programme for the bridge construction and can not afford to wait some six to eight weeks for a new bearing.

Any thoughts.

 

[bridgebuster]

Krazy Glue. Seriously though, if it burst, then there's no way to fix it. If it's only the outer wrapping of neoprene on the vertical surfaces that came off, you can glue them back on.

In order to maintain your schedule, can you put some timber blocking under the stringer in question until a new bearing can be fabricated? Place some of the neoprene from the damaged between the timber and the stringer bottom flange to allow the stringer to rotate. When you have the new bearing, jack the girder 1/8" (~3 or 4 mm) and slide it in. Of course, this may not work since I have no idea how you are attaching the stinger to the bearing and the bearing to the abutment.

 

[Qshake]

In my opinion, this matter should be attended to by the owner...Does he want a beat-up bearing? Probably not. Therefore the contractor should submit a temporary fix and when teh new bearing comes in, replace it.

Lots of things that are damaged can work for a short while but inevitably the life of the bearing is shortened by someone's mishap. It should not be incumbent on the owner to have to accept a beat up bearing if he doesn't want it. No matter if the price is reduced or not.

Regards,
Qshake

Eng-Tips Forums:Real Solutions for Real Problems Really Quick.

 

[Roadbridge]

Just to update on my damage bearing.

The contractor managed to source a similar sized bearing from another supplier over the weekend. Its been flown in today.
The original supplier could not interrupt it production line to make just one bearing.

Ps.

Can my member profile be up dated?

Regards Roadbridge.