Construction Joints:

Construction joints are provided at surfaces where two

successive placements of concrete occur. It is needed in
order to accommodate the construction sequence for placing
the concrete.

These joints are formed during construction work by bat ching and mixing, in which one part is
allowed to harden before the next is placed and may be
intentional or unintentional.
Intentional: Labor Hours, extreme weather, Religious Holidays

Unintentional: Unexpected shortage of material, Equipment

Failure, Bad weather.

**Without this continuity, a weakened region results that may serve as a contraction or expansion joint.

For slabs they may be designed to allow movement and/or

to transfer load. The locations of construction joints should
be predetermined. This is desirable to achieve bond and
continue reinforcement through joint.

They are formed using some sort of bulkhead, made of

wood, steel, plastic, or precast concrete. These bulkheads
are often used as screed rails during placement and finishing of the slab.
**Older
Cleaning
can be
any
prevent

joints need a little more surface preparation.

by means of an air-water jet or wire brooming
done when the concrete is still soft enough that
laitance can be removed, but hard enough to
aggregate from loosening.

1. Construction Joint in Column

Construction joint in column shall not be provided with smooth
surface or inclined surface. The top surface of the column should be
rough with parts of coarse aggregates being seen.

2. Construction Joint in Beams and BeamColumn Joint:

Following figure shows the typical construction joint to be provided in beams and beam
column joints.

Types of Construction joint:

BUTT TYPE
BUTT TYPE WITH DOWELS
BUTT TYPE WITH TIE BAR
KEY JOINT

As Per NSCP,
406.4 Construction Joints
406.4.1 Surface of the construction joints shall be cleaned and laitance removed
406.4.2 Immediately before new concrete is placed all construction joints shall be wetted
and standing water removed
406.4.3 Construction joints shall be so made and located so as not to impair the strength
of the structure. Provision shall be made for transfer of shear and other forces through
construction joints

406.4.4 Construction Joints in floors shall be located within the middle third of spans of
slabs, beams and girders.
406.4.5 Joints in girders shall be offset a minimum distance of two times the width of
intersecting beams.
406.4.6 Beams, girders or slabs supported by columns or walls shall not be cast or erected
until concrete in vertical support members is no longer plastic.
406.4.7 Beams, girders, haunches, drop panels and capitals shall be monolithically as part
of a slab system unless otherwise shown in design drawings or specification.

Seismic Joint

Seismic joints are similar to expansion joints, but at the same time very different.
Expansion joints are introduced to accommodate building movements caused by
shrinkage, creep, or temperature changes while Seismic joints is to helps in
assuring one building segment does not collide with another during an earthquake
Accommodate mostly horizontal movement
Typically wider than a building separation joint, with width increasing with height
Sometimes it is used to create a separation between the adjacent buildings or
parts of buildings that includes separation of walls, floors, roof and, in the case of
joints within the same building, may also include separation, or accommodation for
movement of piping, HVAC ducts, and other elements that have a functional need
to cross the joint and also costly and architecturally undesirable