Antifriction fluoroplastic materials for sliding layers in bridge supports

The requirements for reliability and durability are increasing every year for the critical elements of bridge structures, as there is a steady increase in the number of vehicles and volumes of cargo movement. Such structural elements include bearing parts of spans of bridges, which perceive loads from the mass of spans, transport cargo and compensate for deformations from thermal expansion and contraction. Antifriction polymeric materials are used in all newly developed designs of bearing parts. The reliability and durability of bridges as a whole depend on the physical, mechanical and operational properties of such materials. The change in the length of spans due to temperature fluctuations is carried out due to sliding along the polymer layers. The article presents a critical analysis of the polymer and metal-polymer materials used as sliding supports. A review and analysis of standardized anti-friction materials for possible use as sliding layers in the bearing parts of bridges have been carried out. The most promising fluoroplastic composite materials capable of operating without lubricant are presented. An analysis of metal-fluoroplastic sheet materials was made, new metal composites were proposed, in which various mesh materials with a high polymer content in the working layer are used as an anti-friction layer. Such materials can be used as guides for the moving bearing parts of the bridge without the use of lubricants. It is shown that the use of the described modern wear-resistant anti-friction materials will significantly increase the bearing capacity and service life of sliding bearings.