Initial installation of a Slide Bearing Assembly can be very different from the eventual replacement of the very same bearing. Virtually, all bearing assemblies are intended to be replaced at some point during the life of the structure. This is true of Teflon® Slide Bearings and the more durable Fluorogold® Slide Bearings. It also holds true for Elastomeric Bearings, Viblon Shims and Bearings, and Commercial Grade Neoprene. In our experience, we have not seen an application where a bearing assembly was intended to be permanent.

 Note: This article will refer to the WEDGE INSERT. (See Fig. 1) The same product is also known as a Relieving Angle Insert, Shelf Insert, Concrete Wedge Insert, Brick Relief Angle Insert and/or Malleable Iron Wedge Insert.

There are several ways rebar anchors can be portioned out in a construction job. They can be part of the steel fabricating package and that is all, they can be part of the steel package and include the first length of rebar, or they can be left entirely for the rebar contractor.  We see these divisions all the time with specific product lines, such as Teflon® or Fluorogold® Slide Bearings, Elastomeric Bearings, Steel Wedges, etc. They are part of a project but it is not clearly noted who is responsible for them.

Steel Wedges are used in fabrication and steel erection for a wide variety of purposes. Some are very simple and rudimentary, others more specific and complex. When a job requires structural steel wedges, the fabricator or erector will have a choice between mass produced stock sizes and made to order sizes. The key phrase in that sentence is “mass produced.”

In the field of Steel Fabrication Teflon®, PTFE and Fluorogold® are most often bonded to steel backing plates to form Slide Bearings. This type of assembly works very well when the anticipated movement will only be horizontal, such as expansion or contraction. Occasionally the application requires the bearing to also allow for some movement or cushioning vertically. In cases like these, the bearing design can have a standard thickness, sliding surface bonded to a commercial rubber cushion.

 For any product manufactured from stainless steel, it is important to consider if it will be visible in the finished assembly. This is especially true for Anchor Bolts, Turnbuckle Rods and Clevis Rod Assemblies. If so, the fabricator should know that to prevent rust from appearing on the surface, the item should be passivated after all fabricating and machining is complete.

Most steel wedges are hard enough to perform a variety of tasks. Our customers are Steel Fabricators, Steel Erectors, Concrete Contractors and a variety of other construction trades. We’ve seen them use steel wedges for everything from leveling staircases to elevating entire structures. Often steel erectors and Concrete Contractors will have them at the jobsites not knowing what they will be used for, but knowing for sure they will be used.

In selecting shim material, an important consideration is Fire Rating. For Concrete Contractors, shims often are used in the forms prior to pouring concrete. Since they will not be a permanent part of the structure any material that provides the necessary spacing should be acceptable. For steel Fabricators and Erectors, the shims are more often permanent and required to last the life of the structure. This requires proper material selection not only for Compressive Strength and Durability but also for Fire Rating.

Note: For the purposes of this article we will refer to them as Wedge Inserts. They are also known as Lintel Inserts, Relieving Angle Inserts, Shelf Angle Inserts, Malleable Iron Inserts and Concrete Wedge Inserts.

The typical Hillside Washer, also known as a Bracer Rod Washer, is made from ductile iron and serves the purpose of providing a perpendicular surface regardless of the angle of the Turnbuckle Rod they are anchoring. As shown in the illustration, the oval surface will allow a nut and washer to seat itself at the proper angle just by the tension created when tightening the turnbuckle.