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.

Teflon® or Fluorogold® Slide Bearings are engineered to wear out. Like any sacrificial structural component, the idea is to protect the more critical, expensive or impossible to replace members. By design, the Teflon® surface should be where all the wear occurs. Ideally, the steel backing plate should never be the part that causes the bearing to be replaced.

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.

In the field of Steel Fabrication Teflon®, PTFE and Fluorogold® are most often bonded to steel backing plates to form Slide Bearings. This type of assembly works very well when the anticipated movement will only be horizontal, such as expansion or contraction. Occasionally the application requires the bearing to also allow for some movement or cushioning vertically. In cases like these, the bearing design can have a standard thickness, sliding surface bonded to a commercial rubber cushion.

The typical Slide Bearing design used in Steel Fabricating, whether Teflon®, Virgin PTFE or Fluorogold®, is 7/32” thick. This is comprised of a 1/8” thick steel backing plate and 3/32” Teflon® bonded to it. Most often, they are in pairs with the Teflon® surfaces in the middle as shown in the illustration.

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.

From the basic Teflon® Slide Bearing under a joist flange or between two steel members, to the miles long Oil Pipelines requiring hundreds of Slide Bearings with Stainless Steel backing plates, Teflon® keeps appearing on plans in many different forms. Before even designing the dimensions and configuration, the engineer has to first consider the environment the bearing will need to function in.

Typical Teflon® Slide Bearing Assemblies are made with 3/32” thick Fluorogold® bonded to a 1/8” thick backing plate. (Note: These dimensions can be changed to any size and thickness required.)

An often overlooked issue with Slide Bearings is the system of welds. Before beginning the process the steel fabricator should understand what effect the weld will have on the Slide Bearing.