ABSTRACT
This chapter presents results of hardness measurements to determine the tensile strength of bridge bearings made from steel castings. The emphasis was on finding the appropriate measurement method and to define requirements with regard to an adequate surface preparation. The tests showed that hardness measurements with the Leeb-method yield very good results for assessing the tensile strength of historic bearings material. The Leeb-method in particular was revealed to suit this type of analysis very well. The tensile strengths arrived at on the Leebbasis approached the reference values with deviations under 10% and with the hardness measurements being mostly located on the safe side. A hardness measurement using the Leeb-method applied to an existing structure would probably underestimate the strength of the examined material. A first analysis contrasted the hardness values derived from the different methods. With some of the deviations exceeding 20% the authors felt justified to investigate the reliability of the different methods.
