Spherical bearings

MAURER spherical bearings contain an interior spherical segment and a horizontal sliding level. The load capacity (> 250 MN), displacement (> ±1500 mm) and rotation capacity (< 0.26 rad) are extremely high. Two MSM® sliding levels are installed horizontally between the individual bearing components, which minimises the frictional and rotational resistance in any movements of the bearings and avoids material fatigue within the structure.

MSM® (MAURER Sliding Material) is a high-performance sliding material developed by MAURER for structural bearings on the basis of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with enhanced sliding performance and various outstanding characteristics:

• Extreme structural safety due to a high load-bearing capacity, which can withstand at least twice the compression load of PTFE
• Use in a temperature range from -50°C to +80°C
• PFAS-free (PFAS: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)
• Service life of 50 years with low frictional coefficients (< 2%) and minimal wear, with total accumulated sliding distances of up to 50 km and more
• Suitable for high displacement velocities of 20 mm/sec. in service and over 1 m/sec. in earthquakes
• No regenerated or filling material or any environmentally hazardous components such as fluorine or chlorine
• Insensitive to chemical contamination and ageing
• CE marking for MAURER MSM® spherical and cylindrical bearings according to the European Technical Assessment ETA-06/0131

MSA® is the abbreviation for MAURER Sliding Alloy, a metal sliding alloy developed by MAURER for use in spherical and cylindrical bearings as a complementary mating surface for the sliding material MSM®.
The corrosion-resistant alloy and the special surface treatment of the MSA® lead to improved characteristics in comparison with conventional hard chrome spherical surfaces:

• Reduction of surface tolerances, therefore no wear
• Service life: 50 years
• Corrosion-free and maintenance-free
• Suitable for all climate zones from -50°C to +80°C
• CE marking for MAURER MSM® sliding bearings with the MSA® puck according to the European Technical Assessment ETA-06/0131

MAURER MSM® spherical segment bearings according to the General Technical Approval of DIBt (Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik) are mainly used most effectively in the refurbishment of roller bearings. These bearings, with their rectangular sliding surface above and below, have similar pressure surfaces to the rollers which must be replaced in the roller bearings. The use of our sliding material MSM® in these bearings then provides all the advantages of a modern MSM® sliding bearing.

• Resistance to wear and free rotation capacity of spherical bearings
• Replacement of roller bearings without complicated recalculation of the structure itself, and without any need to change the existing structure of the building structure.