BS EN 1337-5 is a British adoption of the European standard for structural pot bearings used in civil structures such as bridges. It focuses on design and manufacturing requirements for pot bearing assemblies that transfer high vertical loads while allowing limited rotation (and, when combined with sliding elements, controlled movement).
If you need help confirming whether a pot bearing design, project temperature class, or rotation demand falls within the scope of this standard, contact our team to talk through the requirement before selecting a verification approach.
BS EN 1337-5:2005 Structural bearings — Part 5: Pot bearings
BS EN 1337-5 covers requirements for pot bearings, including functional expectations, material requirements, design considerations, and verification testing used to demonstrate performance and durability.
It is commonly referenced by bearing designers and manufacturers, bridge designers, and project teams specifying bearing performance for new construction and refurbishment.
Quick definition
Document type: Product/design and manufacturing requirements with associated verification testing (not a single standalone laboratory test method).
What it focuses on: Structural pot bearings intended to carry vertical and horizontal actions while permitting limited rotational movement, including requirements that support durability of the sealing system.
Key scope limits (examples): The scope includes operating temperatures from –40 °C to 50 °C and excludes cases such as bearings subjected to rotation greater than 0.030 rad under the characteristic combination of actions, and designs incorporating elastomeric pads larger than 1500 mm in diameter.
What This Standard Covers
BS EN 1337-5 sets out requirements for pot bearing design and manufacture, including how the bearing assembly is expected to transmit loads between superstructure and substructure while accommodating limited rotation. It also addresses materials and components used in typical pot bearing constructions (including elastomeric pads and sealing concepts) and includes verification testing intended to support reliability and durability.
Where translational movements must be accommodated, pot bearings may be used together with sliding elements (covered in a different part of the EN 1337 series). In these cases, design teams typically consider the interaction between the pot bearing and the sliding system when planning verification.
Why This Standard Matters in Testing
Pot bearings are safety-critical components in bridge and structural support systems. BS EN 1337-5 is used to define what “fit for purpose” means for these bearings, tying together performance expectations, allowable design limits, and verification checks that support long service life.
For laboratories and QA/QC teams, this standard is often used to plan verification activities that demonstrate a bearing design meets required functional and durability expectations, and to align documentation with project and procurement requirements.
Common Materials, Product Types, or Applications Covered
Common product types: Pot bearings used as structural bearings, including configurations intended to carry high vertical loads while allowing limited rotation.
Common applications: Bridge bearings and other civil-structure support locations where the bearing must transmit vertical and horizontal forces and accommodate rotation; where movement is needed, the pot bearing may be paired with a sliding element system.
Material considerations: The standard includes material requirements and limitations tied to the bearing’s functional components (including elastomeric pads and sealing systems), which can influence what is reasonable to verify in a lab setting.
Common Test or Verification Workflow
Workflows built around BS EN 1337-5 typically combine design documentation review with performance verification of the bearing assembly. Depending on the project and bearing design, this may include checks related to load transfer capability, rotation behavior within the scope limits, and durability-focused verification associated with the internal sealing system.
Because pot bearings can be specified with different configurations (including combinations with sliding elements), test planning commonly starts with confirming the intended actions (vertical load, horizontal effects, rotation demand, and any required movements) and the relevant temperature class for the installation environment.
Equipment Commonly Used for This Standard
BS EN 1337-5 is equipment-influencing rather than equipment-prescriptive: it drives the need for controlled loading, measurement, and (in some cases) durability-oriented verification for bearing components and assemblies.
Common equipment families: High-capacity compression/load frames or structural test rigs, hydraulic power and control systems, load cells, displacement measurement (e.g., LVDTs), angular/rotation measurement where required, and fixtures designed to apply load and rotation to bearing assemblies safely. Where verification involves movement interfaces (for combined pot + sliding configurations), additional fixtures and instrumentation may be needed to represent the intended interaction.
If you are specifying a rig capacity, control type, or fixture approach for pot bearing verification, you can request a detailed quote for a system configured around your load range and measurement needs.
How to Read This Designation or Revision
BS EN 1337-5 indicates a British Standard (BS) that adopts a European Norm (EN) from the EN 1337 series on structural bearings, specifically Part 5 for pot bearings.
Year and edition sensitivity: The year in the designation (for example, “:2005”) refers to the referenced edition year of the EN document adopted as a BS EN. Requirements and verification expectations can be sensitive to the exact cited edition (and any amendments), so test plans and purchasing documents should reference the complete designation used by the project.
Related Standards, Methods, or Frameworks when useful
BS EN 1337-5 is part of the EN 1337 structural bearings series. In practice it is frequently used alongside general series requirements and, where movement is required, sliding element requirements from other parts of the series.
Common related references (project-dependent): EN 1337-1 (general requirements) and EN 1337-2 (sliding elements) are often relevant when pot bearings are part of a broader bearing system design.
Talk to our team about pot bearing verification and test equipment
If you are planning pot bearing verification to BS EN 1337-5 and want to align capacity, control, and fixturing with your bearing schedule and acceptance needs, talk with our team about an equipment and test setup matched to your application.