Profile: Maurer (U K ) Ltd. manufactures expansion joints, bridge bearings and shock transmission units. Modular expansion joints comprise of steel centre beams arranged in the longitudinal direction of the joint with interposed strip seals. Due to individual gaps being restricted in width several strip seals must be employed in series to accommodate greater movements. Accordingly one or more centre beams are required between the edge beams, supported on cross bars movably arranged at one or both edges of the structural gap. The reinforced elastomeric bearings, so called laminated bearings, are built of different layers such as a layer of synthetic chloroprene rubber (CR) or natural rubber (NR) resp. and a steel reinforcing sheet follows the next. These laminated material layers will merge by vulcanising to a single pad. The rubber bonds to the steel reinforcing plates. This connection is resistant to tension, compression and shear while load is applied onto the bearing.