Fabreeka® Structural Expansion and Slide Bearing - Structural Expansion and Slide Bearing

Fabreeka® structural expansion bearings, or slide bearings, accommodate for thermal expansion and structural rotation in buildings, bridges, and pipe supports. We offer many types of slide/expansion bearings depending on your application, that are all supplied with an upper and lower unit (selected to suit your needs) prepared to be tack or stitch welded in the field.

To complement these expansion bearings, we also offer a full line of bearing pad products for all types of building and construction applications.

Fabreeka® has been a recognised leader in the expansion bearing and pipe slide field, incorporating the Fabreeka® Pad to take up adverse rotation, misalignment conditions, and the reduction of localised stresses and vibrations within structures.

Guidelines for Applications

SBX structural expansion bearings are used when construction tolerances, high loads and rotations are prominent, with beam spans being excessive. This bearing is the most resilient in our full line of bearings.

STX expansion bearings are used when construction tolerances and loads are moderate. This bearing has an extremely low coefficient of friction, which is exception for cases where expansion is large.

TTX expansion bearings are used when non-rotational construction tolerances and loads are moderate. This bearing has a higher coefficient of friction that the STX bearing and is used when expansion criterion is limited.

GGX expansion bearings are used when temperature is a factor - in excess of 275°F (135°C). Graphite is a versatile engineered material with an unusual combination of physical, electrical, and chemical properties. These bearings are ideal for harsh environments, where other materials may break down (due to acids, solvents, or high temperature). The GGX achieve effective performance in environments within the temperature range -50°F to 700°F

Fabreeka® Pipe Slides/Expansion Bearings facilitate movement due to expansion and contraction from thermal or dynamic changes. The bearing element helps to distribute loadings and reduces localised stress concentrations. There are several types available:

• Fabreeka® Bearing Pads - for moderate heat applications (under 200°F) and/or high pulsation resonance applications. The Fabreeka bearing pad will provide an ideal solution as it is an isolation pad between the piping and restraint. It will offer gasketing to prevent metal to metal contact, and act as an effective vibration damper. The low spring rate of the Fabreeka Pad will give you damping and dynamic structural stability in your restraint.
• Fabeeka® - PTFE Bearing Pads - for higher heat applications (under 400°F) and/or applications where it is necessary for the piping systems to grow. The Fabreeka - PTFE bearing pad will provide you with all of the qualities of the Fabreeka bearing pad, whilst also providing a layer of Teflon substrate to act as am insulator from the high temperatures of the piping when the Teflon is places on the pipe side of the restraint. In thermal applications when you want lateral movement and need the damping of high pulsation energy, this bearing pad allows the movement whilst providing damping when the Teflon surface is places on the pipe side of the restraint.
• Fabreeka SA47® Bearing Pads - used in cold piping applications where you have a minimum amount of resonance and no requirement for piping to move or grow. It acts as an isolation pad between the piping and restraint, and it will offer gasketing to prevent metal-metal contact.