Application of Elastomeric Bearing for Railway Bridge

철도교량의 탄성받침 적용방안

It has been recognized for decades that the spherical bearing which is sliding on curved surface in the intrinsic behavior is optimized for the railway bridge requiring a large slope deflection. However, the spherical bearing is easily corrosived at the PSC girder bridge which is exposed to the outside so the normal function of bridge bearing is not fulfilled fully. It is common that the corrosion is happened at the operating plate of steel bridge bearing and generally it is necessary to replace the bridge bearing after 20~25 years. Accordingly, It costs multi billion dollars for maintenance each year and the necessity of improvement become a issue. Korea Rail Network Authority(KR) suggested to apply the Elastomeric bearing instead of Spherical bearing through the task of construction site of 2006. But the normal Elastomeric bearing is optimized for the Highway bridge so it needs the special consideration to satisfy each design condition required by railway bridge. As the result of examination of Elastomeric bearing at the railway bridge construction site, the stress is decreased by effective dispersion of earthquakes and the maintenance fee is also decreased.