University Of Technology

Civil Engineering Department

Concrete Pavements and Joints

Joint in walls
 Joint in walls
INTRODUCTION

Joints are used in reinforced concrete walls to simplify construction, provide relief from
constrained movement, and control cracking. Usually it is not possible to place a wall in
one operation, so construction joints are required. These construction joints do not serve
a structural purpose. Concrete walls are subject to changes in length, alignment, or
volume that result in movements of the structure. These movements may be caused by
creep, shrinkage, temperature gradients, differential settlement, or loads. If there
are no joints, forces may develop in the wall that may cause cracking if the tensile
capacity of the concrete is exceeded. Cracking may be minimized by reducing the
restraint of free movement of the wall. This normally is accomplished by dividing a
wall into suitable lengths separated by joints that allow movement. These joints
function to provide stress relief. Cracking due to base restraint in a long concrete wall is
shown in Fig. 1. The wall is restrained at the bottom by the footing and the top by the
floor system. Restraints produce forces in the concrete that exceed the tensile capacity
and cause cracking. Reinforcement resists tensile stresses that develop in the wall.
Cracking cannot be prevented by reinforcing the wall, but widths of cracks that do form
can be controlled. A wall need not be crack-free if the locations and width of cracks are
controlled to minimize the effects on strength, function, or appearance of the wall, as
required. This can be done effectively and economically by the proper use of joints.
Shrinkage-compensating concrete can be used to reduce the number of joints and cracks
in walls. See ACI 223 for special details required to accommodate the expansions at the
wall base.

Fig.1 cracking of long wall due to contraction

Types of joints

In concrete walls Contraction, isolation or expansion, and construction joints are

used in concrete walls. There are other kinds of wall joints, but these are usually some
slight variation or combination of one of the three main types. A discussion of the
purpose of each main type of joint and its use in walls is provided in the following
discussion.

1. Contraction joints

The contraction joint is an intentionally created plane of weakness in the wall made by
reducing the wall thickness, reinforcement, or both. The cracking may then occur at this
weakened plane rather than at random locations in the wall. Contraction joints locate
cracks in places selected for purposes of appearance or structural integrity. Contraction
joints can be inexpensive and relatively simple to construct in walls. They are often
made using wooden, rubber, plastic, or metal strips attached inside the forms.
These strips leave narrow vertical grooves in the concrete on the inside and the outside
of the wall. The total depth of the grooves should be at least 1 /4 of the wall thickness,

The groove or notch can be sealed to prevent excess penetration of moisture or

chemicals that would promote corrosion of the wall. Sealants such as weather-resistant
polyurethane or silicone (that will remain flexible after placement) may be used. For
water tightness, the exterior groove can be packed with backup material and caulked
full with an elastomeric sealant. A water stop also can be used to prevent water from
leaking through the crack that occurs in the contraction joint. Some researcher
recommends using dowel bars that provide 0.015 times the cross-sectional area of the
wall and extending 30 bar diameters each side of the joint.

Recommendations for joint spacing differ, depending on the type and use of wall and
the service conditions. A recommended contraction joint spacing is the height of the
wall for high walls and three times the height of the wall for short walls. Short walls are
usually considered to be less than 2.4 m and high walls taller than 3.6 m. These
recommendations recognize that the upper portion of the wall is likely to cool and
shrink faster than the lower part of the wall that is also more restrained. Both conditions
allow additional tensile stress within the concrete that will likely cause some cracking.
Contraction joints placed in line with openings in the wall effectively control cracking
at the corner of the openings. Joint spacing may be a little greater in walls without
openings, but spacing should not exceed 7.6 m .It is desirable to have a contraction joint
within 3 to 4.5 m of a wall corner.
Recommendations for reinforcing range from stopping all reinforcing 2 to 3 in. from
the joint, to allowing one-half of the reinforcing to continue through the joint (partial
contraction joint). Partial contraction joints are used mostly in water-retaining or
excluding structures. It is better to discontinue the reinforcing at the joint and thereby
allow for full movement at the joint. If alignment of joint or adjacent wall surfaces is
important, dowels may be used, fig.2. Total reinforcement should continue through the
joint only when the joint needs to be held either open or closed to maintain structural
stability.

Fig. 2—Contraction joint with alignment dowel

The process of forming contraction joint can be done in any of 3 stages:

1. While placing concrete, a premoulded strip may be inserted into the concrete to
create a plane of weakness. Metal strips inserted into terrazzo or preformed
plastic strips can be inserted into concrete pavements to avoid cracks.

2. Saw cut joints or dry cut joints can be made after the placing of concrete. Saw-
cut joints should be done within 4 to 12 hours after the concrete has been
finished. Dry-cut joints should be made between 1 to 4 hours after completion of
finishing. In this method, joints are made using hand Grover or concrete saw and
the concrete is cut at regular intervals and a permeable material is placed that
bonds with concrete well.

3. Once the concrete has hardened sufficiently, 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, as
unsealed joints tend to fill with dirt and become ineffective.
 Fig.3 Sawed contraction joint.

2. Isolation or expansion joints

Isolation or expansion joints are used in walls in the form of vertical joints through
the concrete. They separate adjacent concrete sections and allow free movement of the
adjacent parts. Independent movement of two adjacent walls prevents crushing,
warping, distortion, and buckling that could result if they moved together.

These movements could be the result of compressive forces that may be developed by
expansion, applied loads, or differential movement. Temperature change is an
important cause of wall movement. The movement caused by a temperature change is
obtained by multiplying the coefficient of linear thermal expansion by the length of
the wall and the degree change in temperature. Climatic conditions obviously
influence the placement of expansion joints.

Expansion joints are constructed by providing a space through the full cross section
between abutting wall units when the concrete is placed. The space is provided by a
spacer or filler set in the forms. The material used as filler is usually compressible,
elastic, and no extruding, such as a premolded mastic or cork filler.

The joint should be straight and continuous from the bottom of the wall at the
foundation to the top of the wall. Reinforcement should 50 to 75 mm from the joint,
and dowels also may be used.

Various expansion joints are shown in Fig. 4

 Fig. 4—Types of expansion joints

Expansion joint spacing in straight walls should range from 60 to 100 m. An

expansion joint also should be located when a direction change occurs along a wall, or
when two or more walls come together from different directions.
 Recommended expansion joints widths range from 20 to 25 mm. Some buildings
built without expansion joints have performed satisfactorily. Temperature expansion
usually does not overcome the initial volume changes of cooling and drying shrinkage
in these cases.

3. Construction joints

Construction joints are planes separating the work done at different times. They
accommodate the construction sequence and are designed for structural continuity.
These joints may be horizontal or vertical and their location is often established before
construction. Vertical bulkheads divide the forms into sections when the concrete is
placed for the full wall height. Bulkheads allow filling the section in one operation.
Surface preparation is extremely important for bonded construction joints.

The surface of the concrete placed first should be cleaned of contaminants and debris
such as dried loose concrete and aggregate. Sand-blasting, followed by air-blast
cleaning, is often specified. Proprietary products or cement grout are sometimes used as
bonding agents.

For proper performance, concrete is placed before the bonding agent dries. A dry layer
of bonding agent will serve as a bond breaker. Wall reinforcement is continuous
through a bonded construction joint. Wall construction joints should be spaced at
4.5- to 7.5 m intervals, with the first joint occurring 4.5 m from the corner of the
structure. Construction joints should also be located where abrupt changes in thickness
occur in walls. Walls with frequent openings should have construction joint spacing
limited to 6 m.

Keyways are often provided in wall-to-footing construction joints, especially if no

reinforcement holds the wall and footing together. The keyway can be formed by
pressing a slightly beveled 2-x-4 (50-x-200 mm, nominal) into the fresh footing
concrete. The keyway should be oiled well before it is used so it can be removed after
the concrete has hardened.

Summary

Recommendations for the location and spacing of wall isolation and contraction joints
are empirical, and further study is needed to provide a more rational basis. Selection of
wall joints requires study of exposure and climatic conditions, restraint imposed on the
wall by surrounding structures, the likelihood of differential settlement, and the number
and size of openings in the wall.
Reference:
 ACI 224.3R-95 , Joints in Concrete Construction