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P E R F OR MA N C OF

E D IA MONDSHAPEELASTOMERIC
BEARINGPADS
IN KUALA LIPISBRIDGE

ElastomericBridge Bearings/SkewedBridges/BridgeRehabiIitation

lr. Leow Choon Heng


Bridge Unit, Roads Branch, Public Works Department Headquarter,Malaysia

l r . W ong W ai Ching
Pr o j e c tMa n a g e me nU
t n i t (E d u cation)Building
, Br anch,PublicW or ks Depar t m ent
Headquarter,Malaysia

Dr . Ng See King
Bridge Unit, Roads Branch, Public Works Department Headquarter,Malaysia

lr. Leow Choon Heng is currentlyan AssistantDirectorof the BridgeUnit, Roads Brancn,
PublicWorksDepartment(PWD)Headquarter. He obtainedhis BSc in CivilEngineering
from
U n i v e r s i t yo f Mi a mi ,C o ra l Ga b l e s,Flor idain 1985 and MSc with Distinctionin C onc r ete
Technology,Construction and Management from the Universityof Dundee,Scotlandin 1g97.
He specializesin concretedurability,assessmentand repair evaluationof deteriorated
reinforcedconcretebridgestructuresand in the testingof materials.He has over 15 yearsof
workingexperiencein thisfield.

lr. Wong Wai Chinggraduatedfrom the Universityof Malayain 1976.He obtainedhis Master
of Engineering(Transportation) from Asian lnstituteof TechnologyBangkokin 1990.He has
held various positionswith the Public Works DepartmentMalaysiasince 1g76 and has
extensive experience in the design and constructionof rural roads, highway and
transportation
engineering,bridgeengineeringand projectmanagement.Presently,he is the
ProjectDirectorresponsiblefor educationalprojects.

Dr. Ng See King has worked for PWD Malaysia since graduationin 1980 in different
capacities.Spentmost of his careerwith the BridgeUnit and have been responsiblefor the
draftingof JKR BridgeLoadingSpecification,creationof JKR's in-housecomputerised Bridge
ManagementSystemand many bridgerelatedstudies.CurrentlySeniorAssistantDirectorin
chargeof bridgeassessment,inspectionand maintenance. His researchinterestsare bridge
inspection, maintenance and assessmentespeciallyin use of new toolssuch as, GlS, neural
networks,structuralreliability
theoryetc.
1. BA C K GR OU N D

1.1 TheBridge

The bridgeover LipisRiverwas constructed in 1991and openedto trafficin october 1gg2.lt


comprisesnine simplysupportedspans of 31.24mprestressedconcretel-beamswith a total
lengthof 281.16m.Each span is free at one end and is restrainedby dowel bars at the other.
The bridgecomprisestwo abutmentsand eight pierswith six nos. of l-beamson each span
supportingthe deck slabwith a carriagewaywidthof 10.0mand skewedat 350.The piersand
abutments weresupported by 400mmdiametersteelpipepilesof 9.Smmthick.

This bridgeservedas a vital link acrossLipis Riverto TanjungLipis.For the road adjoining
TanjungLipisto Kerambitat the Jerantutborder,the constructionof the new roadworksonly
commencedin early1995and was completedin December1998.The bridgewas traversedby
heavyvehiculartraffic
in early 1995with the mobilisation
of heavyconstruction equipmentand
transportation
of materialsfor the roadworksconstruction.Presently,the trafficvolume is low
eventhough the roadworkshad beencompletedsince1gg8.

One uniquefeatureof this bridge is the use of diamondshape elastomericbearingpads


apparently
so chosento tacklethe skewingeffectof the bridgedeck (Figure1). Bridge5earing
padsof shapeotherthanrectangularhaveneverbeenusedin Malaysia.

Figure 1 : Diamond Shape ElastomericBearing Pad (PlanView)

1 . 2 T h e Pr o b l e m

ln 1995,throughthe regularinspectionexercisecarriedout by the districtofficeof public


Works Department(PWD) Lipis, it was found that B out of 108 of the elastomericbearing
pads had walkedfrom their originalpositions.The locationsof the walked bearingpads are
as illustratedin Figure2. On closeexamination,it was observedthat approximat6ly20% of
the dislocatedbearingpad was still in contact and seated on the epoxy mortar bedding
(Figure3). Telltale markson the bearingpads and beam soffitssuggestedthat the bearing
pads had progressively rotatedin a clockwisedirection(Figure4).
,,W-ZJil:

a:iE=;?E=:
;ifi,:;*tr::t

Leqend : -
A Fixed End tL BearingPad Position
@ FreeEnd | 'walked'Bearing pad

Figure 2 : Locationsof Walked Bearing pads

% .'Qon
.'oo'
5*
o'b
tP0XrMCRIAR \ )rt

I ORrctNAt
P05TtoN

I
DIRTC-IONOF TRAFFIC
<i>-

'r1

!a

PIER
'WALKtD
!IARiNGPAD

Figure 3 : Plan View of A Walked Bearing pad

Figure4 : A Typical Walked Bearing pad


2. I N S P E C T IONT,E S T IN GA N D A PRAISALOF THE PROBLEM

2 . 1 Observations

The bearingpadsweremanufactured firm.Detailsof the bearings


locallyby an international
areas follows:-

Ov e r a l Dl i m e n si o n s - 490 x 490 x 159m m


l n n e rR u b b e rL a y e r s =2x 48mm
S t e e lP l a t e s =3x4.5mm
RubberTop and BottomCoverThickness = 24mm
R u b b e rSi d eC o ve rT h i ckn e ss = 1Om m
S h e a rM o d u lu so f R u b b e r = 0.77N/mm 2

Besidesthe displacement of the bearingpadstherewas also concernaboutthe qualityof the


materialused in the manufacture of the bearings.This concernwas basedon the observation
that therewas a stickyand waxy substancefoundon the surfacesof the bearings.ln addition,
extensivepermanentbulgingwas noticedin each laminationas the loadspushthe elastomer
out. There were cases where cracks had occurredat these bulgedfaces (interfacebetween
the rubberand steel laminate).These cracks could possiblybe due to the deterioration of
poor qualityelastomericmaterialwhich often developalong the point of greatestbulge. ln
orderto ascertainthe causesof the materialdeterioration two piecesof the walkedbearings
were sentto RubberResearchInstituteMalaysia(RRIM)for materialand stiffnesstests.

2.2 Testing of Walked DiamondShape ElastomericBearing Pads

The two samplesof rubberbearingswere tested at RRIM in accordancewith 855400:Part


9:Section9.2:1983.Resultsof the materialand performancetests are as shown in Table 1
and Table 2 respectively.The results for the material tests exhibited signs of non-
conformance for the observedtensilestrengthof 11.SMpa,elongationat breakof 430%, low
IRHD of 54 and acceleratedageing with change in tensilestrengthof -16% as shown in
Table 1. Compressivestiffnesstest resultsof 76kN/mmand 60kN/mmfor the two samples
exceededthat of the actualrequirement as shownin Table2.
of 45.2+20o/o

The test certificateresultsof the bearingpads performedat RRIM duringconstructionstage


in 1992 indicatedconformanceto requirement.Howeveraccelerated ageingwith change in
tensilestrengthof -33% was not withinthe requirementof +15o/o
max. Compressive stiffness
test resultsof 60kN/mmand 63kN/mmalso exceededthat of the performancetest requirement
of 45.2x20%.

By observingand comparingthe resultsof the performancetests done during construction


and recently,it is apparentthat deteriorationof the rubber had taken place. Indeed,test
resultson the accelerated ageinghad indicatedthe inferiorqualityof the materialin durability.
The presence of sticky substancecan perhaps be explainedby the effects of material
due to ageing.
disintegration
Table 1: MaterialTest on Test PiecesCut From Bearing

PROPERTY REQUIREMENT
OBSERVED
855400 (1983)
TensileStrength,MPa I t.c 1 5 . 5m i n i m u m
Elongation at Break,% 430 450min i m um
H a r d n e s sI ,R H D 54 55
Compression Set, (22hft1oC), %o 18 30 m axi m um
BondStrength,N/mm 19.1R;17.3R 7 minimum
20.6R; 19.8R
OzoneResistance No Cracks No Cracks
(2lpphml20%strain/96h/3Oo C)
Propertiesafter acceleratedage ng in air, 7 days at 70uC
Changein TensileStrength,% -16 1 5m a x i m u m
Changein Elongation at Break,% -o 20 maximum
C h a n g ei n H a r d n e s sI ,R H D 4 10maximum

Table 2 : StiffnessTests on Whole Bearing

PROPERTY OBSERVED REQUIREMENT


S a m p l eA S a m p l eB A S P R O V I D E DI N
DESIGN
Compression Stiffness, KN/mm
( D e s i g nL o a d= 8 8 7 K N ) 76 bU 45.2x20o/o
ShearStiffness,KN/mm
( D e s i g nh o r i z o n t aml o v e m e n=t 1 5 . 1 m m ) 097 1 18!20%

2.3 Sources Contributingto Walking of Bearing pads

A studyby BridgeUnitsuggested thatthe walkingof the bearingpadswas mostprobablydue to


one or combinations
of the followingfactors:-
a) A diamondshapebearingpad has a longerperimeterand thus a smallershapefactor
as comparedto a rectangularbearingpad of the same plan area. Shapefactor is
definedas the ratioof the loadedarea to the total force-freearea (Gent and Lindley,
1959).For a rectangular bearingpad with lengthL, width B and thicknesst, the shape
factoris givenby LB / [ 2t(L+B)].In general,shapefactorindicatesthe effectiveness of
the size, thicknessand shape of the bearingpad. Since rubber is, like water and
incompressible, the shape factor dictatesthe amount of compressionunder vertical
load. The smallershape factor of a diamondshape bearingpad leads to a larger
deformation than that of a rectangularone.

b) The thicknessof the existingbearingpad (159mm)with only three layersof 4.Smm


thick mild steel plates had resultedin a lower stiffness.The high flexibilityof the
bearingpad had allowedextensivebulgingof the elastomerto occur. The design
bear ingpad basedon 855400:Parg.1:19
c h e c kf or th e e xi sti n ge l a sto m er ic t 83al s o
revealedthat the criteriabasedon maximumdesignstrainand verticaldeflectionhad
not beensatisfied.
c) Rubberbearingpad leadsto a deformationperpendicular to the line of each bearing
edges under the verticalloads. For rectangularbearing pad, the directionof this
deformationis parallelto the directionof the horizontalmovementof girdercausedby
temperaturedifferences(Takagi,1998). However,for diamondshape bearingpad,
these directionsare not parallelto each other and the differencein the directions
producesdistortionof bearingpad and finally resultedin the rotatingforce on the
b e a r i n gp a d (F i g u re5 ).

d) The loadingconditionand dynamicbehaviourdue to vibrationof the bridgeare also


influential
as theseaffectthe behaviourof the bearingpads at differentsupports(Basir,
1eg8).

e) The severelyskewedbridgecouldcausetransversemovementof the bearingsdue to


the geometryand deck concretecreep that arise (Park, 1984). Moreover,keeper
platesand shearkey were not providedin the KualaLipisbridgesuperstructure.

Rotational
Movement

Traffic DeformationDue to
Temperature

DeformationUnderVertical
\ Load

Component
of Rotational
Force

Figure 5 : SchematicDiagramof DeformationCausing RotationalMovement

2.4 Selectionof ReplacementBearings

It mightbe sociallyunacceptable for the replacementbearingsto fail.An extra effortmust thus


be made to replace the existing bearings with new ones that would promise a better
performance. The causesof the failureneed to be identified.In view of the likelycausesof the
problemas givenin 2.3, a solutionto the problemwas adoptedafterhavingconsidered various
feasible alternatives.The solution involved a new bearing design with the features:- 1)
rectangular in shape;2) thinnerand 3) physicalrestraint.

The elastomericbearingwas thus designedfor a horizontalmovementof 15.1mmdue to


temperature, shrinkage^and creep,a longitudinal rotationof 2.814x 10-3radian,a transverse
rotationof 2.494 x 10-" radianand a verticalload of 9B0KNin accordancewith BS5400:part
9:1983.The detailsof the new bearingsare as follows:-

OverallDimensiong = 400 x 250 x 56mm


fn n e rR u b b erL a ye rs = 3 x 12.Om m
S t e e lP l a t e s =4x3.0mm
RubberTop and BottomCoverThickness = 4mm
RubberSideCoverThickness = 6mm
S h e a rM o d u l u so f R u b b e r = 0.9N/mm 2
To providephysicalrestraint
the newelastomericbearingpadwasbondedto a 50mmthickmild
steel plateby vulcanization
duringthe manufacturing processin the factory.The unit was
weldedto anotherpieceof steelptatetnatwas secur"i to the pierby fourbolts(Figure6). The
50mmthickplatewhileservingto restrainthe bearingfromanyslippige,alsomakJsup for the
lossin bearing
leveldueto useof thinnerbearing
padl.Intotal,atttba-numbers of bearingpads
werereplaced.

Two piecesof the elastomericbearingpadsmanufacturedto the new designweresampled


and testedin accordance with BS5400:sectiong.2:1983at the RRIM.Resultsfor the
andperformance
material testsareas shownin Table3 andTable4 respectively.
The results
conformedto allthe requirements.

Table 3: MaterialTest on Test pieces Cut From Bearing

PROPERTY OBSERVED REQUIREMENT


B S s 4 0 0( 1 9 8 3 )
TensileStrength,MPa 22.9 1 5 . 5m i n i m u m
Elongation at Break,% 450 400minimum
H a r d n e s sI ,R H D 65 60-65
CompressionSet, (22h170o C), yo 11 30 maximum
BondStrength,N/mm 151R; 28 3R 7 minimum
1 88 R ; 1 34 R
OzoneResistance No Cracks No Cracks
(25pphmI 20%strainig6h/3Oo C)
Propertiesafter acceleratedaqe nq in air.7 dtt-at7or(
Changein TensileStrength,% -o 1 5m a x i m u m
Changein Elongation at Break,% -1 20 maxi m um
C h a n g ei n H a r d n e s sI ,R H D 2 1 0m a x i m u m

Table 4 : Stiffness Tests on Whole Bearing

PROPERTY OBSERVED REQUIREMENT


SampleA Sam pleB AS PROVIDEDIN
DESIGN
Compression Stiffness, KN/mm
(DesignLoad= 887KN) 511 455 431.8x20%
ShearStiffness, KN/mm
( D e s i g nh o r i z o n t aml o v e m e n=t 1 5 . 1 m m ) 2.12 1.89t20o/o

It is interestingto ask why mechanicalbearings,for example, pot bearings were not


consideredas a solutionto the present problem.An argument advocatingelastomeric
bearingsover pot bearingshad been presentedin a recentseminarin Singapoie(Lee et al.,
1999)'lt was highlightedthat only the elastomericbearingpads used for iwo bridgesout of
some 360 bridgesconstructedsince 1970 were reportedto have failed due to ozone attack
aggravatedby presenceof water and excessiveconcentratedload concentration. The long
term performanceof naturalrubberpads had been proven as those installedin Australia
since 1889indeedsufferedlittleoxidationand were stillfunctioning(Rubber
bridgepadsfrom
Victorianage, 1985).ln addition9000 naturalrubberbearings servicein penangBridge
(Chin,1986)and theseare expectedto performwell. "rein

3. I N ST AL L A T ION
OF N E W B E ARINGS

A contractcomprisesremedialworksto removeall existingbearingpads


and the installation
-physicairestraint of
new elastomericbearingpads with the incorporation
of a casingsystemwas
awardedto a contractorby openingbidding.The isometricview of the
completecomponentof
elastomericbearingpad are as shownin Figure6. The site possessionwas handedoverto the
contractor
on the 10August1ggg.

- 4 0 0 x 2 5 0 x 5 6 m mT H I C K
L A M I N A TRELDB B EERi A R I N G
PADVULCANIZED V/I-HPLATI

,'
/ I,IORTAR
EPOX
o
G\

Figure6 : lsometricView of CompleteComponentof ElastomericBearingpad

3.1 JackingSystem

In general,the jackingmethodwould vary dependingon the structural


memberinvolvedin
jacking,maintenance of trafficflow,availaOiiity
oi equipmentand stiffeningof structuralmembers
to accommodate jackingforces.

The jackingprocedureadoptedrelieson the shearingresistanceat the interface


betweenthe
pre-castbeam and cast in-situdiaphragmbeam,togeiherwith the reinforced
deck slab section.
This was necessary,as the four numbersof nigh yietOsteel reinforcement32mm
in diameter
were not properlyanchoredat both edges.In addition,it was also difficultto judge
whetherfull
groutingof the circumference of the reinforcementand the whole lengthin the f,oles provided
were well executed.As the jackingforceis appliedat the soffitof ttre enO-Oiaphragm
beams,the
existingsupportreactionat the bearingis transferredto the jack via the shear resistance
of the
concretesectionof diaphragmbeam and deck slab. The enOof each span will
be liftedwhen
jackingforce exceedsthe dead load, providedthe shear resistance
is greaterthan the dead
load. A detailed analysisof stressesthat would occur during jackrni operation
was also
pedormedto ensurethe structuralintegrityof the members.
The jackingoperationwas carriedout at one end of each span at a time. The span end was
lifted using low-heighthydrauliccylinderjacks. To avoid any possibleleakageof hydraulic
pressureunder maintainedload, hydraulicjacks equippedwith a built-insafety lockingnut
systemwere used The selectedjacks were also equippedwith swiveltopfeaturethat hjO an
integraltiltingsaddleswhichcouldaccommodatea rotationof up to 4 degrees.

As the precast beams for each span are connectedby diaphragmbeams, these 65 tons
hydrauliccapacityjacks shallbe placeddirectlyunderneaththe end Oiaphragm beam at close
proximityto the precastbeams.ln total, 12 numbersof 65 tons capacityhydraulicjacks were
used.The liftingoperationwas conductedby simultaneous jackingof 12 cylinders
with G pumps
to synchronizethe jackingoperation.Each jack was attachedwith an individualcontroivalve
and pressuregauge.With this arrangement, jackswas possible.This
adjustmentto individual
was importantbecauselocalizedadjustmentwould be necessaryto levelup the precastbeams
that might have tilted.The possibleoccurrenceof overstressin the bridgeduring the jacking
operationwouldbe negligible.

3.2 PrecautionaryMeasures

Duringthe jackingand liftingprocessthe followingprecautionswere exercised:-

a) Ensurethat all the jackingsurfacesare even, otherurrise cushionedplywoodor rubber


sheetwas added
b) The liftingoperationwas stoppedif crack lines were detectedat diaphragmor precast
beamsduringjacking.The causesof crackwouldbe investigated and remedialmeasure
taken.
c) Ensureall serviceconduit,cabling,watermain pipe,sealantwhichwere to span across
thejointsat the pointof jackingwouldbe ableto permitthe upliftof about25mm.
d) At fixedend of each span,the dowelbars were checkedto ensurethat rubberdowelcap
had been installedby the contractorduring constructionstage. This would facilitate
uniformliftingoncethe jackingforceexceedsthe dead load.
e) Trafficspeedwas limitedto 20kph and directedalongthe centreline of the carriageway
for the spanwhereliftingoperationwas in progress.

3.3 Replacementof Bearings

The replacement worksbeganwithjackingand liftingup the end of each span of the bridgedeck
superstructureto relievethe existingbearingsfrom the dead and live loads action.The work
sequencethat followedconsistedof :

a) Removalof existingelastomeric bearingpads(FigureT).


b) Existingepoxy mortarbeddingwere removedand new beddingcastedto a thicknessof
90mm. This was requiredso as to maintainthe finished level due the differencein
thicknessbetweenexistingand new bearings.
c) Fabricationand installationof completeunit of elastomericbearingon top of existing
epoxy moftar bedding.The elastomericbearingpad vulcanizedwith an externallymild
steel plates (trapezoidalin shape) as shown in Figure I is welded to a verticalplate
component. Thisis thenboltedto the pierwallthroughthe verticalplate(Figure9).
Figure7 : Removalof ExistingBearingPad

Figure8: ElastomericBearingPad vulcanized with Trapezoidalplate

Figure9 : CompleteInstallationand Fabricationof New ElastomericBearingPad

4.0 CONCLUSIONS

The main issuein this paperis the walkingof bridgebearingpads.Thoughnot conclusive, it is


contendedthatthe mainculpritof the rotationalmovementof the bearingpads is theirdiamond
shape. lt appearedthat flat objectsof diamondshape would rotateunder cyclicaldisturbance.

l0
This phenomenonis also observedin anotherskewed bridgeover Jegor River in the state of
Kelantan(Sani,1998).The bridge,skewedat 400,was foundto haverotatedand displaced. On
the otherhand,existingliterature(Park,1984;TRB, 1977)reportsthat elastomericbearingpads
tend to movefor extremelyskewedbridgedecks.Accordingto these reports,it is the geometry
of the bridgedeck ratherthan the shape of the bearingpad that has causedthe belrinqs to
move. From PWD experience,out of 22 bridgeswith skews of over 400 and installedwith
rectangular elastomericbearings,none of them has any problemof walked bearings.This
showsthat in the KualaLipisBridge,the diamondshapeof the bearingshasactuallycausedthe
dislocationof the bearingpads.Basedon this observation,
the MalaysianStandardCommittee
on ElastomericBearing had thus expresslyconfinedthe draft new standardto rectangular
bearings.

5.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authorswish to expresstheir sincerethanks to Mr. NobuhitoTakagi,ex-JICAExpert


attachedto the BridgeUnit and Dr. KamarulBasirof RRIM for technicaladvicegiven in the
designand installation
of the bearings.The authorsalso wish to thank lr. Chin Wei Choong,
SeniorSuperintending Engineerof BridgeUnit for his supportand permissionto publishthis
paper.Thanksare also due to Mr. Tan Chee Kean,Mr. Abd. Hadi Md Sharipfor assistancein
bridge inspectionand preparationof the illustrationsand the staff of PWD Lipis District
Engineer'sOffice.Viewsexpressedin this papermightnot be that of PWD Malaysia.

References:

1. Ba s i rK , . 1 9 9 8 .P ri va teco mmu nication withDr .Kam ar ulBasirof RubberResear chI ns ti tute


M a l a y si ian Ma y1 9 9 8 .
2. BritishStandardInstitution,sfeel concreteand compositebridges,BS 5400: Part 9.
Br i d g eBe a ri n g s: 1983.
3. Chin,F.K. 1986.SomeConsiderations ln TheDesignOf NaturatRubberBearingsFor The
PenangBridge.J. NR Research, 1986,f(1), 64-70pp.
4 Gent,A.N., and Lindley,P.B. 1959.The Compression of BondedRubberB/ocks.proc.
l n s t nM e c h E. n g r s .1, 9 5 9 1: 1 1 - 1 2 2 p p .
5. Lee, H.S. et al. 1999. Replacementof ExistingMechanicalBearingswith Etastomeric
Bearingsfor Ahmad ShahBridge,Temerloh,Mataysia.Proceedingsof the International
Conference organisedby the Instnof CivilEngrsheldin Singapore on 4-5 October1ggg.
ThomasTelfordLtd.,London.
o. Park,S.H. 1984.BridgeRehabilitation and Replacement. P.O. Box74T4,TRENTON,NJ
08628-0474, 210pp.
7. RubberbridgepadsfromtheVictorian age.RubberDevelopment, 1g85,38(2),pp.36-38.
8. Sani,K.M. 1998.BriefInternalReporton Inspection of BridgeOver Jegor River,Route
D27, in Pasir Mas District,Kelantan.Bridge Unit, Roads Branch,PWD Malaysiain
D e c e mb e1r 9 9 8 .
9. TakagiN , . 1 9 9 8 .P ri va teco mmunication with Mr . NobuhitoTakagi,JICA Expert,Bridge
U n i t ,R oa d sB ra n chP, WDMa l a ysia in October1ggg.
10. TransportResearchBoard. 1977. Bridge Bearings.TechnicalReport NCHR? No. 41,
W a s h i n g to n D,.C .

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