{"id":3468,"date":"2026-10-09T12:15:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T04:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wanakencanagroup.com\/blog\/?p=3468"},"modified":"2026-10-09T12:15:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T04:15:41","slug":"what-are-the-different-types-of-bridge-bearings-46bd-d4e919","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.wanakencanagroup.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/09\/what-are-the-different-types-of-bridge-bearings-46bd-d4e919\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the different types of bridge bearings?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone, it\u2019s Alex from the bridge bearing crew \u2013 wanted to break down something I get asked like, every week: what actually are the different types of bridge bearings? If you\u2019re a civil engineer, project manager, or even just someone curious why a bridge doesn\u2019t crack and shift every time a semi drives over it, this is your jam. I\u2019ve been selling bridge bearings for 8 years now, seen way too many projects cut corners on the wrong type, so trust me when I say picking the right one isn\u2019t just a \u201cnice-to-have\u201d \u2013 it\u2019s the whole reason a bridge lasts 70+ years instead of 10. Bridge Bearing<\/a><\/p>\n

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First, let\u2019s keep this simple. What even is a bridge bearing, anyway? Most folks picture those big metal plates under the bridge girders, but they\u2019re more like the bridge\u2019s shoes \u2013 they absorb all the weird movement that happens 24\/7. Temperature changes make steel girders expand and contract, earthquakes shake things, traffic loads bounce, and even settling ground shifts. Bearings take that stress so the bridge concrete and steel don\u2019t crack. Skip picking the right type, and you\u2019re looking at maintenance headaches in 5 years, not 50. No thanks.<\/p>\n

Alright, let\u2019s get into the types, starting with the super basic ones that still show up everywhere. First up: Rigid Bearings<\/strong>. These are the boring, no-movement guys. They\u2019re just two thick metal plates bolted to the pier and the girder, no sliding, no rolling. You only use these for super small bridges, like a residential road crossing a creek \u2013 the kind that barely has any traffic and almost no temperature swing. Wait, but I\u2019ve seen contractors overuse these for bigger projects, and let me tell you, when that steel girder expands in summer with a thousand cars on it, that rigid bearing traps all that force. Cracked girders? Yeah, that\u2019s how. Stick to rigid for tiny, low-load projects only.<\/p>\n

Next, Pin and Roller Bearings<\/strong>. These are the mid-sized workhorses. Think of two big metal rollers, like the ones in a conveyer belt, between two heavy steel pins connected to the pier and girder. The roller slides back and forth on the pin, so that\u2019s the movement: it lets the girder expand and contract lengthwise, no stress. We\u2019ve sold these for overpasses and highway bridges for years. The downside? They\u2019re totally exposed. Rain, snow, road salt \u2013 all that gunk gets in the roller grooves, rusts the metal, and seizes up. I remember a project in Ohio a few years back where they skipped adding a seal, and by year 8, the rollers were frozen solid. Had to rip out the whole bearing and replace it, which cost twice as much as if they\u2019d just sealed it. Pro tip for pin and roller: always spring for the sealed version if you\u2019re on a main road.<\/p>\n

Now, the ones I sell the most of: Elastomeric Bearings<\/strong>. 9 times out of 10, this is what we recommend to clients. What are they? They\u2019re layers of rubber (usually natural or neoprene) stacked with thin steel plates inside, molded into a big square or round pad. The rubber flexes, and the steel layers keep it from bulging too much, so it handles vertical load, plus a little horizontal movement from temperature or traffic. Best part? They\u2019re low-maintenance. No rollers to seal, no pins to rust \u2013 just set it, and it works. We use them for everything from small rural bridges to big city overpasses. Wait, but there are sub-types here, right? Flat elastomeric vs. laminated. Flat is for tiny bridges with almost no movement. Laminated (the ones with the steel plates inside) are for bigger spans that need more movement. I had a client in Texas last year who was putting in a bridge out in the desert where temps swing from 20\u00b0F in winter to 110\u00b0F in summer \u2013 laminated neoprene elastomer was perfect for that, handled all the expansion and contraction without breaking a sweat.<\/p>\n

Moving to the heavy-hitter seismic stuff: Pot Bearings<\/strong>. These are the big, circular metal bearings, like a pressure cooker pot with a rubber seal inside. There\u2019s a steel piston that fits into the pot, and a teflon or bronze sliding surface between the piston and the pot. They handle way more load than elastomeric, and can handle big horizontal movement \u2013 perfect for bridges in earthquake zones, or spans with uneven settling. We sold a set of these for a bridge on the West Coast a while back, and their spec sheet said they needed to handle a 7.0 magnitude quake without shifting more than an inch. That\u2019s exactly what pot bearings do: super stable, low friction, great for high-stress spots. The only downside? They\u2019re pricier than elastomeric, but when an earthquake hits, you don\u2019t want your bridge failing. Worth every penny.<\/p>\n

Wait, another seismic one: Spherical Bearings<\/strong>. These are similar to pot bearings, but instead of a flat sliding surface, they have a curved steel and teflon surface \u2013 like a ball and socket. That means they can handle not just horizontal movement, but rotation too, which is perfect for spans where the pier is settling unevenly, or bridges that need to adjust for wind or sway. We used to sell pot bearings for some of these projects, but now spherical is our go-to for long spans or areas with bad soil settling. I worked with a civil engineer in Florida a few years back who built a bridge over a swamp \u2013 the soil there shifts like crazy, so he needed something that could rotate and slide as the ground moved. Spherical bearings were the only thing that fit. No cracks, no issues, even after a couple of big storms.<\/p>\n

Oh, and I can\u2019t forget Sliding Bearings<\/strong>, which are kind of a catch-all, but there\u2019s a specific type we call Teflon Sliding Bearings. These are metal plates with a thin layer of Teflon bonded to the surface, that slide against another steel plate. They\u2019re usually paired with another bearing, like elastomeric, to add extra horizontal movement. For example, if a bridge has an elastomeric bearing that handles vertical load, we\u2019ll add a Teflon sliding plate on top so it can move more for temperature changes. Super simple, low-cost, and they work great for adding extra movement where you need it. Just make sure the surface is clean \u2013 Teflon gets gummed up with road tar if it\u2019s not covered, so we always recommend adding a small protective cover when you install them.<\/p>\n

Wait, let\u2019s talk about some common mistakes I see clients make, because that\u2019s half the battle. First, sizing the bearing wrong. I had a guy last year order a pin and roller bearing that could only handle 200 tons for a bridge that had a 500-ton design load. Cost him extra to rush a bigger order, and delayed the project by a week. Don\u2019t guess \u2013 get your load calculations right. Second, not accounting for environmental factors. Like that Ohio project I mentioned \u2013 no seal on the pin and roller. Or a client in Alaska who used a regular rubber elastomeric bearing, and the extreme cold made it brittle. We swapped them for a cold-resistant neoprene, and that fixed it. Third, cheaping out on the material. A lot of guys try to get bearings from overseas for a lower price, but the steel is thinner, the rubber is lower quality, and they fail way faster. I\u2019ve had a client who did that, and he had to replace 80% of his bearings in 6 years instead of the 30 we quoted. Total cost was higher. Don\u2019t skimp here.<\/p>\n

So which type is right for your project? Let\u2019s break it down quick:<\/p>\n