ABSTRACT
Bridge bearings facilitate the transfer of vehicular and other environmentally imposed loads from the superstructure down to the substructure, and ultimately, to the ground. In fulfilling this function, bearings must accommodate anticipated service movements while also restraining extraordinary movements induced by extreme load cases. Because the movements allowed by an adjacent expansion joint must be compatible with the movement restrictions imposed by a bearing, bearings and expansion joints must be designed interdependently and in conjunction with the anticipated behavior of the overall structure.
