LEADING SPECIALIST IN BRIDGE BEARING REPLACEMENT 05 April 2012

Where the condition of your existing bearings are concerned, no one is more capable, or experienced to advise you than Freyssinet, the UK’s leading bridge bearing manufacturer and specialist in bridge bearing replacement. Freyssinet’s highly trained and experienced engineers, are available to come and complete site inspections throughout the whole of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The services offered include identification of the bridge bearings, condition assessments, and advising on the practicalities of refurbishment, and/or bearing replacement. As part of the service, a comprehensive report is available, which would be photographically illustrated, and available in an electronic format as necessary. This allows the client to integrate our report into their own tender documentation and reports as required.

Freyssinet are the leading bearing manufacturer and experts in the fields of bridge bearing replacement, you can be assured that your new bridge bearings and bridge bearing replacement works will be of the highest quality. Freyssinet offer the full range of bearing manufacture and bearing replacements, both elastomeric and mechanical, from their UK factory. The designs are to BS 5400, and the quality control of bearing manufacture and bearing replacement exceeds the requirements of BS EN ISO 9001. The team of leading designers at Freyssinet are able include suitable modifications into original designs of bearing manufacture, so that later bearing replacement operations can be made easier.

The replacement of bridge bearings and other operations, such as bridge expansion joint replacement, require extremely specialised jacking and propping solutions to facilitate the work. Freyssinet can offer a wide range of appropriate techniques, no matter how demanding or challenging the situation is. Freyssinet are able to supply vertical jacks to prop up structures, and also horizontal jacks, to facilitate movement of structures. 1000 tonne capacity, hydraulic jacks are available from Freyssinet with locking collars and swivel heads. To complement these, Freyssinet can use their manufacturing expertise to add to the jack heads, elastomer and PTFE sliding surfaces. These surfaces give the jack heads the ability to accommodate a limited amount of horizontal, and vertical, structural movement. For both permanent and temporary situations, Freyssinet also supply flat jacks up to a 1000 tonne capacity, which are able to be used in gaps of 50mm or even less. For temporary solutions, where removal of the jack will be required, the inflation would be with hydraulic oil. If the bearing is to be used in a permanent situation, such as structural lifting or bearing pre-loading, a cementitious grout may be used. Alternatively, at a later date, the grout can be transfused under load if the situation requires.

Control over the entire jacking operation, can be monitored either manually or electronically, offering extremely high levels of control. The jacks can be grouped together into complex circuits, where they can be operated either in groups, or individually as required. If the client has specified a more conventional propping system for a temporary situation, Freyssinet’s in-house designers are well placed to accommodate this, offering big advantages in terms of cost, speed and access. Propping also eliminates the need for excavation and temporary foundations.

Whether you require experts for bearing testing, or a bearing manufacturer for a bridge bearing replacement project, Freyssinet’s are the ones you should turn to.