Bearings
VSL bearings ensure efficient load transfer and accommodate structural movements in bridges, buildings, and other infrastructure. Made with high-quality materials, they deliver long-lasting performance with minimal maintenance. Available in elastomeric, pot, and spherical types, they offer safety and durability in demanding environments. Products are available in standard or fully customised formats, with optional end-to-end support from design to supply and on-site installation.
Select the right bearing for you
VPrene bearings: Cost-effective elastomeric bearings
What is VPrene?
Elastomeric bearings are the most efficient and cost-effective solution for vertical loads from a few hundred to 10,000 kN.
They provide reliable performance with limited movements and rotations.
They resist up to 15 MPa at SLS and accommodate small translational and rotational movements through the elastic deformation of rubber.
Their simplicity, durability, and low maintenance suit bridge and building structures. They also offer high vertical stiffness, low horizontal stiffness, and strong ageing resistance.
Features & benefits
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Vertical load capacity | Typically ranging from a few hundred to 10,000 kN. |
| Horizontal load capacity | Suitable for low horizontal loads. |
| Movement capacity | Accommodates small translational movements in all directions through elastic deformation of the rubber. |
| Rotation capacity | Accommodates rotational movements about any axis through elastic deformation of the rubber. |
| Load vs. area efficiency (space requirement) | Designed to withstand up to 15 MPa at SLS; space requirements may be a constraint. |
| Temperature range | Suitable for a wide temperature range. |
| Design life | Limited by rubber ageing; available in Natural Rubber (NR) or Chloroprene Rubber (CR) for improved durability. |
| FEATURES | TYPE B | TYPE C |
| Rotations | 0,01 rad | 0,01 rad |
| Movements (mm) | 50mm (long. direction) / 10mm (transverse direction) | 50mm (long. direction) / 10mm (transverse direction) |
| Horizontal load resistance | Relies on friction between the structure and the elastomer | Relies on mechanical fixings |
| Vertical load capacity (kN) | From 1,000 to 20,000 kN (ULS) | From 1,000 to 20,000 kN (ULS) |
| Download TYPE B datasheet | Download TYPE C datasheet |
Applications
Elastomeric bearings are widely used across multiple structure types:
- Pedestrian and light-traffic bridges – efficient load transfer and accommodation of moderate movements.
- Industrial facilities and low-rise buildings – suited to structures with limited vertical loads and rotation demands.
- Highway and railway overpasses – reliable support where loads are moderate and maintenance needs are minimal.
They also provide effective vibration isolation for sensitive equipment areas.
TOLUCA–MEXICO CITY COMMUTER RAIL PROJECT
- Location: Mexico
- Structure: Railway viaduct
- Domain: Repair
- Year: 2020-2021
- Challenge: The Toluca–Mexico City commuter rail project – also known as the Interurban Train Mexico City-Toluca (TIMT) – is an existing 57.7 km-long commuter railway line.
- Solution: VSL supplied and installed 1,037 more than 1,000 neoprene bearings to replace the existing ones on a number of bridges along the route, as well as carrying out a full inspection of the structure before work began.
VPOT bearings: High-capacity standard pot bearings
What are VPOT bearings?
The flexibility of VSL pot bearings provides maximum freedom for design and construction. They support vertical loads above 100,000 kN through an elastomeric pad confined inside a steel pot. Depending on the type, they provide free movement in one or two directions or resist horizontal loads, and offer an excellent cost-vs-performance solution for projects with moderate space restrictions. For larger rotations, spherical bearings are required.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Vertical load capacity | Large vertical load capacity. |
| Horizontal load capacity | Suitable for large horizontal loads. |
| Movement capacity | Accommodates large translational movements in all directions. |
| Rotation capacity | Allows rotations up to 0.03 rad; greater rotations achievable with VSL custom-made designs. |
| Load vs. area efficiency | Good compromise between bearing size and space requirements. |
| Temperature range | Suitable for a wide temperature range. |
| Design life | VSL VPot bearings are designed and manufactured for long service life. |
| FEATURES | FIXED BEARING PF | GUIDED BEARING PU / PT | FREE SLIDING BEARING PL |
| Rotation: | 0,01 rad (EN) 0,02 rad (AASHTO) | 0,01 rad (EN) 0,02 rad (AASHTO) | 0,01 rad (EN) 0,02 rad (AASHTO) |
| Vertical loads (kN) | From 500 to 30.000 kN (ULS) | From 500 to 30.000 kN (ULS) | From 500 to 30.000 kN (ULS) |
| Horizontal loads (kN) | 10, 20 or 30% of vertical load | 10, 20 or 30% of vertical load | 10, 20 or 30% of vertical load |
| Design movements (mm) | Fixed | Unidirectional 50/100mm (long. direction) | Multidirectional 50/100mm (long. direction) 20mm (transverse direction) |
| Download TYPE PF datasheet | Download TYPE PU/PT datasheet | Download TYPE PL datasheet |
Customized bearings available for larger vertical loads up to more than 100.000kN.
Applications
VSL pot bearings are used across heavy-duty structures:
- Bridges and viaducts – ideal for highways, railways, and large spans requiring very high vertical load capacity and controlled rotational movements.
- High-rise and multi-story buildings – applied on columns and supports needing reliable load and rotation performance.
- Industrial structures – suited for factories and heavy-duty facilities requiring robust bearing capacity.
- Bearing replacement projects – used when existing bearings no longer meet load or rotation requirements.
MANILA LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT 1
- Location: Philippines
- Structure: Elevated railway
- Domain: Build
- Year: 2016-2024
- Challenge
The LRT1 Cavite Extension Phase 1 is a 6.6 km elevated railway designed to ease traffic congestion along the Parañaque–Las Piñas–Cavite corridor, requiring reliable bearing solutions for both precast and cast-in-situ elements. - Solution
VSL supplied 15 bearing types, including 828 pot bearings for the precast Pi girders and 16 pot bearings for the Baclaran tie-in, ensuring consistent load transfer and long-term performance.
Spherical bearings: High load capacity with enhanced rotation
What are spherical bearings?
Spherical bearings are the go-to solution for rotations above 30 mrad and provide maximum freedom in design and construction. VSL offers two products: VSphere and VSlide.
VSphere
VSphere™ spherical bearings provide resistance to very high loads, similar to pot bearings, but with a smaller footprint. They suit applications that require pot-bearing-level capacity while reducing the plan area, which depends on the allowable pressure of the PTFE sliding material. These bearings handle high loads, allow controlled movements, and fit restricted spaces. They also offer an excellent cost-vs-performance ratio for bridges, viaducts and heavy-duty structures.
Features & benefits
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Vertical load capacity | Large vertical load capacity. |
| Horizontal load capacity | Suitable for large horizontal loads. |
| Movement capacity | Accommodates large translational movements in all directions. |
| Rotation capacity | Allows rotational movements about any axis through curved sliding surfaces; very large rotations achievable with VSL custom-made designs. |
| Load vs. area efficiency | Low area requirement for very large load capacities. |
| Temperature range | Suitable for a wide temperature range. |
| Design life | VSL bearings are designed and manufactured for long service life. |
| FEATURES | FIXED BEARING SPF | GUIDED BEARING SPU /SPT | FREE SLIDING BEARING SPL |
| Rotation | 0,01 rad (EN) 0,02 rad (AASHTO) | 0,01 rad (EN) 0,02 rad (AASHTO) | 0,01 rad (EN) 0,02 rad (AASHTO) |
| Vertical loads (kN) | From 500 to 50.000 kN (ULS) | From 500 to 50.000 kN (ULS) | From 500 to 50.000 kN (ULS) |
| Horizontal loads (kN) | 10, 20 or 30% of vertical load | 10, 20 or 30% of vertical load | – |
| Design movements (mm) | Fixed | Unidirectional 50/100mm (long. direction) | Multidirectional 50/100mm (long. direction) 20mm (transverse direction) |
| Download TYPE PF datasheet | Download TYPE PU/PT datasheet | Download TYPE PL datasheet |
Customized bearings available for larger vertical loads up to more than 100.000kN
Applications
- Bridges and viaducts with demanding movements – suitable for very high vertical loads, large rotations, and sliding movements, especially where available bearing space is limited.
- Architectural and engineered structures – ideal where high load capacity, reliable rotation capacity, and controlled sliding behaviour are essential.
- Industrial and heavy-duty facilities – effective for plants and infrastructure exposed to large loads and frequent structural movements.
HERSTAL BRIDGES
- Location: Herstal, Belgium
- Structure: 3 viaducts total of 16 spans
- Domain: Supply of bearings
- Year: 2017
- Challenge: The three E40/A3 viaducts from the 1960s cross the Meuse and the Albert Canal near Liège. Increased traffic and ageing required the rehabilitation of 21,000 m² and the addition of 5,000 m² for extra lanes across 16 spans on OA26bis and the two crossing structures.
- Solution: VSL supplied 120 VPrene, VPot and VSphere bearings, designed for vertical loads from 1,400 to 20,000 kN.
VSLide™ Series: Advanced spherical bearings
What are spherical bearings?
The VSLide™-Series spherical bearings meet the need for higher rotational capacity and reduced plan dimensions. They suit low temperatures down to –50°C and elevated temperatures up to +80/+90°C, with load capacity up to 180 N/mm². The range includes VSLide™ Sh for exceptional loads and +90°C, and VSLide™ Su for exceptional loads, +80°C, and 50 km sliding capacity. They also offer an excellent cost-vs-performance solution in very high space restrictions.
Key benefits
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Vertical load capacity | Extra-large vertical load capacity due to the high bearing capacity of the VSLide™ sliding materials. |
| Horizontal load capacity | Suitable for large horizontal loads. |
| Movement capacity | Accommodates large translational movements in all directions. |
| Rotation capacity | Allows rotational movements about any axis through curved sliding surfaces; very large rotations achievable with VSL custom-made designs. |
| Load vs. area efficiency | Very low area requirement for large load capacities thanks to the VSLide™ sliding materials. |
| Temperature range | Suitable for a wide temperature range due to the thermal performance of the VSLide™ sliding materials. |
| Design life | VSL bearings are designed and manufactured for long service life. |
| FEATURES | FIXED BEARING SPF | GUIDED BEARING SPU /SPT | FREE SLIDING BEARING SPL |
| Rotation | 0,01 rad (EN) 0,02 rad (AASHTO) | 0,01 rad (EN) 0,02 rad (AASHTO) | 0,01 rad (EN) 0,02 rad (AASHTO) |
| Vertical loads (kN) | From 500 to 50.000 kN (ULS) | From 500 to 50.000 kN (ULS) | From 500 to 50.000 kN (ULS) |
| Horizontal loads (kN) | 10, 20 or 30% of vertical load | 10, 20 or 30% of vertical load | – |
| Design movements (mm) | Fixed | Unidirectional 50/100mm (long. direction) | Multidirectional 50/100mm (long. direction) 20mm (transverse direction) |
| Download TYPE PF datasheet | Download TYPE PU/PT datasheet | Download TYPE PL datasheet |
Customized bearings available for larger vertical loads up to more than 100.000kN
Applications
- Bridges and viaducts with demanding movements – suited to structures requiring extremely high vertical loads, large rotations and sliding displacements, especially where plan space is restricted.
- Architectural or engineered structures – ideal where very high load capacity, reliable rotation capacity and controlled sliding movements are required.
- Industrial and heavy-duty facilities – effective under large loads and frequent movements.
- Long-term performance – proprietary sliding materials ensure low-friction durability for 50+ years.
HSR 6th OCTOBER ELECTRIC
- Location: Egypt
Structure: HSR 6th October Electric (From KP 146+000 to KP 149+000) on the new high-speed express railway linking Ain El Sokhna on the Red Sea to New El Alamein on the Mediterranean
Domain: Supply of 192 VSLideTM-Su Spherical bearings
Year: 2023-2025
- The HSR 6th October consists in a 3.0 km length & Super structure using precast PT Box girders 25.0 m span.
- VSL supplied 192 VSLideTM-Su Spherical bearings
From product-only to full support: what do you need?
Buy high-quality, CE-certified bearings directly from VSL
Best for: straightforward supply-only needs
Get tailor-made bearings designed specifically for your project.
Best for: complex projects or special requirements
Opt for the complete package: from design to delivery, installation and lifetime service.
Best for: turnkey projects with full technical and execution support
Why Choose VSL Bearings?
Certified quality
CE-marked bearings that meet EN 1337, ETA 21/0726, ETA 23/0943 and key local approvals (Hong Kong, Czech Republic, SNCF, RTA Dubai, RCRC KSA, Ontario).Certified factories
EN1090 EXC4, CWB CSA W47.1, ISO 9001 and certified coating procedures.Global manufacturing
Production in Europe and Asia for consistent availability.Tailored solutions
Standard or fully customised bearings.Full project support
Support from design to installation.
Frequently Asked Questions about bearings
A bridge bearing is a component that transfers loads from a bridge deck to its supports while allowing controlled movement such as rotation, translation, or expansion caused by traffic, temperature changes, or seismic activity.
Bridge bearings come in several types, including elastomeric bearings, pot bearings, spherical bearings, and seismic bearings. Each type is designed to handle specific load, rotation, and movement requirements.
The selection depends on your structure’s characteristics: total loads, expected displacements, rotations, temperature variations, and space constraints. VSL can assist with feasibility studies and design optimisation.
Yes. All VSL bearings are CE-marked and comply with international quality and performance standards.
Both options are possible. You can order bearings as supply-only products, request custom solutions, or choose VSL’s full-service package including engineering, installation and after-sales support.