Thermal Break Bearings have become a more and more common element used in steel fabricating plans. These products are insulators, meaning that they do not easily conduct heat or energy. As such, they are used to stop heat from transferring between steel members or escaping from the wider building envelope.

Slide Bearings: Reduce Lead Time and Cost 

Modest adjustments to design can result in significant economic benefits.

Note: For purposes of this discussion Teflon® is trademarked by the DuPont Corporation, Fluorogold® is trademarked by Saint-Gobain.

We often see RFQ's and Purchase Orders for Teflon® or Fluorogold® Slide Bearing Assemblies where the configuration appears to be carried over from a previous project. Sometimes, without intending to, the plan as shown is overkill for the application at hand. In cases like this we usually give the customer the option of allowing The Steel Supply Company to engage the engineer, architect or designer to introduce alternatives. Below are some examples of common situations. As in all cases, whether they are Slide Bearings, Thermal Break Bearings or any other product line, we will only make suggestions. Changes in design should always be approved by the E.O.R.

When designing a Teflon® or Fluorogold® Slide Bearing, one of the factors that sometimes gets overlooked is the maximum operating temperature the bearing assembly will function at. Standard Structural Steel expansion type joints don’t develop the heat required for temperature to be a concern, but many specialized applications do. Steam Lines, Furnaces, Ovens, etc. all present environments that can compromise a standard FC-1010-CS slide bearing.

Unlike any of the other bearings mentioned in this discussion, thermal break bearings are built to handle static loads only.

Rubber Bearing Pads

To the Steel Fabricator, Steel Erector or any construction trade, the category “Bearings” is comprised of many different products. Some, like elastomeric bearings, are made to order and are not re-sized or adjusted in any way by the end fabricator or erector. For purposes of this article we will focus on the bearing materials that can be cut to size, drilled and shaped by the fabricator.

Initial installation of a Slide Bearing Assemlbly can be very different from the eventual replacement of the very same bearing. Virtually, all bearing assemblies are intended to be replaced at some point during the life of the structure. This is true of Teflon® Slide Bearings and the more durable Fluorogold® Slide Bearings. It also holds true for Elastomeric Bearings, Viblon Shims and Bearings and Commercial Grade Neoprene. In our experience, we have not seen an application where a bearing assembly was intended to be permanent.

Initial installation of a Slide Bearing Assembly can be very different from the eventual replacement of the very same bearing. Virtually, all bearing assemblies are intended to be replaced at some point during the life of the structure. This is true of Teflon® Slide Bearings and the more durable Fluorogold® Slide Bearings. It also holds true for Elastomeric Bearings, Viblon Shims and Bearings, and Commercial Grade Neoprene. In our experience, we have not seen an application where a bearing assembly was intended to be permanent.

Whether it is PTFE (Teflon®) Slide Bearings, Elastomeric Vibration Absorbing Bearings, AASHTO grade Neoprene Bearings or any other bearing, it is imperative that the substrates are accounted for if the bearing is expected to function properly and serve to the longevity it is capable of.