FHWA Bridge Inspection Manual Section 9—Bridge Bearings - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

FHWA Bridge Inspection Manual Section 9—Bridge Bearings

Course Outline

This two-hour online course discusses a wide range of bridge bearings: sliding plate bearings, lubricated steel plates, lead sheets between steel plates, bronze bearing plates, asbestos sheet packing between metal plates, self-lubricating bronze bearings, roofing felt /tar paper, PTFE on stainless steel plates, roller bearings, single roller bearings, roller nest bearings, rocker bearings, segmental rocker bearings, rocker nest bearings, pinned rocker bearings, elastomeric bearings, plain neoprene pads, laminated neoprene pads, seismic bearings, isolation bearings, friction-pendulum bearings, high-dampening rubber bearings, pot bearings, neoprene pot bearings, spherical pot bearings, restraining bearings, and pin and link bearings. Inspection procedures for each of these bearings are described.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will

Be familiar with the difference between fixed and expansion bearings;
Know the four basic elements of a bearing;
Be cognizant of bearing types;
Understand inspection procedures for steel bearings;
Be acquainted with inspection procedures for elastomeric bearings; and
Recognize the principles of evaluation and NBI rating guidelines for bearings.

Intended Audience

This course is intended primarily for civil, construction, and structural engineers, and would be of particular interest to consulting engineers or to engineers serving in government organizations concerned with the safety of bridges.

Benefit to Attendees

An attendee of this course will be familiar with the characteristics of bridge bearings and will be able to apply this knowledge in bridge inspections.

Course Introduction

A bridge bearing is a superstructure element that provides an interface between thesuperstructure and the substructure. The three primary functions of a bridge bearing are to transmit loads from the superstructure to the substructure, to allow rotation caused by dead load and live load deflection, and to permit horizontal movement of the superstructure due to thermalexpansion and contraction (expansion bearings only). A bridge inspector must be thoroughly familiar with bearing types and behavior.

Course Content

This course is based on the Section 9 (Inspection and Evaluation of Bridge Bearings) of the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual, Publication No. FHWA NHI 03-001, October, 2002, Revised December, 2006.

FHWA Bridge Inspection Manual Section 9—Bridge Bearings

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Course Summary

The characteristics of bridge bearings are described in a manner useful for conducting inspection of bridges.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/bripro.htm

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.