Slide Bearings

VSB slide bearing systems offer a low profile solution for allowing relative movement between structural elements. Thermal cycles, seismic activity, variable loading conditions, and long term material changes are some of the conditions that must be accommodated by the structural system. Typical applications are at floor and roof framing connections along expansion joint lines in large structures, truss base plates, pipe supports, heat exchangers, and other process equipment.
VSB slide bearing systems are comprised of an upper and lower element. In the basic format, the sliding interface is PTFE to PTFE. The upper element is sized to provide full coverage of the lower element throughout the range of allowed movement. This ensures that full contact is maintained on the lower element and allows the upper element to act as an "umbrella" for the lower element. Following this best practice approach for element sizing will maximize product life cycle by eliminating partial loading situations and minimizing the risk that foreign material will enter the sliding interface.
The simplest format for a VSB slide bearing system consists of 332" glass-filled PTFE bonded to a 10 gage steel (carbon or stainless steel) backing plate. The upper element is attached to the upper structural element with the PTFE face down, while the lower element is attached to the lower structural element with the PTFE face up. The slide bearing elements can be supplied with holes and slots to match the opening in the structural system