Contraction Joint in Concrete
Contraction Joint in Concrete
Contraction Joint in Concrete
Unreinforced concrete, on the other hand, will tend to develop somewhat larger cracks at more
irregular intervals; wherever the tensile strength of the concrete is exceeded by the shrinkage
stresses.
To prevent such cracks, contraction joints must be installed at appropriate intervals. It may also
be advisable to install contraction joints in reinforced concrete rather than relying solely on
reinforcement to control shrinkage stresses.
Contraction joints may also be required in mass concrete or very large members, to allow for the
shrinkage or reduction in volume which occurs as concrete cools or loses temperature after it has
been placed.
Generally they will be situated where the greatest concentration of tensile stresses resulting from
shrinkage are to be expected:
Contraction joints are most common in large areas of concrete pavement where they are used to
divide the concrete into bays. Ideally, these should be approximately square. They may also be
necessary in long walls, particularly where an unplanned crack would be undesirable.
Contraction joints form a convenient point at which to stop concrete work at the end of the day.
Construction joints should never be formed in the middle of a bay.
CONSTRUCTION
Fig-1 Vertical Contraction Joint
Contraction joints are formed by creating a vertical plane of weakness in the slab or wall.
Movement is allowed at this point to accommodate that due to shrinkage. On the other hand, it is
usually necessary to prevent movement in other directions, i.e. in directions parallel to the plane
of the joint Fig-1. These twin requirements have the following consequences:
The bond between abutting concrete surfaces in the joint must be broken.
Reinforcement is terminated on both sides of the joint.
Dowel bars if used must be unbonded on one side of the joint.
CONTROL JOINTS
Normally, mechanical interlock across the two faces of the joint is expected to prevent other
movement in the joint.
Control joints are, therefore, a relatively simple alternative to a fully formed contraction joint. They
are placed wherever a formed joint would have been placed and are most widely used in
unreinforced floors and pavements. Joint spacing in these applications, range from 1 m for thin
pedestrian pathways and driveways to, say, 5 m for road pavements.
Control joints can be made at any one of three stages during construction, viz:
A premoulded strip may be inserted into the concrete, as it is being placed, to create a plane
of weakness. Metal strips inserted into terrazzo or preformed plastic strips inserted into
concrete pavements to form the centre line of the pavement are examples.
A joint can be formed in the surface of the concrete with a suitable jointing or grooving tool.
Upon hardening, the concrete cracks at this point, creating a joint.
After the concrete has hardened sufficiently to prevent ravelling of the edges, a sawn joint
may be formed. The joint should be made as early as possible and prior to drying shrinkage
starting to occur. Delay can result in unplanned cracking of the pavement. The sawn joint is
then filled with a joint sealant to prevent dirt and other debris entering it Fig-2 as unsealed
joints tend to fill with dirt and become ineffective.