Lageraustausch an den Stabbogenbrücken im Zuge der BAB A1 über den Dortmund-Ems-Kanal bei Ladbergen

Bearing replacement at the bowstring bridges over the Dortmund-Ems canal in the lane of the highway A1 near Ladbergen.

The bowstring bridges over the Dortmund-Ems canal in the lane of the highway A1 near Ladbergen showed after a short period a frictional wear of the sliding material of the spherical PTFE bearings. In addition at the fixed bearings creaking noises occurred. In the past the bearings of comparable bridge showed a similar behaviour and comparable damages. Therefore the road administration decided to perform a detailed research program in combination with in situ measurements at the bridge in order clarify the cause of the damage and the short design life of the bearings. The paper gives an overview of the measurements and the research work. Based on the results of special tests, performed at the University of Wuppertal, and the new insides of the measurements a modified fixed spherical bearing was developed, where the contact area for the horizontal fixing is made of UHMWPE.