JOINTS

INTRODUCTION
The joint is the weakest and vulnerable area in bridge design Distress at bridge joints will lead to many maintenance problems, ranging from spalling of concrete edges at the joint to detorioration of pier caps Maintenance work on the bridge should be restricted to a minimum length of time in the case of high density of traffic Hence the Joints on a bridge should be so designed as to perform satisfactorily for a long time without requiring repair or replacement

Three types of joints occur on a bridge structure a)construction joint b)expansion joint c)contraction joint

a) CONSTRUCTION JOINT
Construction joint is necessary whenever the placement of concrete has to be stopped temporarily before the completion of the entire monolithic portion under construction such temporary suspension of concrete placement may sometimes be unexpected, if it is due to failure of machinery such as concrete mixer, vibrator etc When foundations of adjacent parts of the structure are at different levels, as in the case of the junction between the abutment and the wing wall, a construction joint should be provided

b) Contraction joint
construction joint and contraction joints are provided to take care of deformations due to change in temperature

contraction joints, where provided, wil be only for a part of the depth of the slab and will often be of smaller width

c) EXPANSION JOINTS
Expansion joints will be provided for the full depth of the member In prestressed concrete bridges of advanced design, expansion joints provided have been unsatisfactory For highway bridges of spans up to about 20m,the expansion joints will be 25mm wide as shown in figure

A copper sheet 1.5mm thick and 250mm wide is bent to form a bulb in the middle and laid at the joint between the structural slab and the wearing coat The gap above this sheet is filled with a resilient joint filler This arrangement would allow a movement up to 22mm

For medium spans, when the movement is of the order of 40 to 50mm, an expansion joint consisting of mild steel angles and plates is usually adopted In tropical climates, this type of joint seldom functions properly due to corrosion It is also difficult to seat the sliding plate accurately on the mating plate throughout the width of the carriageway It is use in coastal areas should be with caution

Finger plate expansion joints is used in Germany In this type, a series of interlocking fingers are provided the fingers have been made prismatic with rectangular cross section and square ends at the free ends for convenience in manufacture These joints should function well under ideal conditions, there is potential difficulty due to slight rotation of the decks on both sides

For long span bridges and for continuous bridges, the maximum movement due to extreme variations of temperature and other causes should be carefully computed and special joints should be designed The expansion joints were built in modular units splitting the movement and dialatations into tolerable widths and using neoprene joint seals

An effective joint sealing system for a long span bridge must satisfy the following performance criteria
It must have the capability to successfully respond to any combination of the many types of movement that might occur on a particular bridge It must seal out the entry of all foreign material with a potential for producing restraint It must seal out the entry of free water It must be capable of absorbing the various types and ranges of movement within itself without being extruded above or expelled from the joint opening

 With respect to the riding surface of the sealing system, it must be constructed of materials which have capability 6to withstand wear and impact from repetitive and heavy traffic loadings, besides durability against petroleum products, weather, etc. It must be capable of performance in extremes of temperatures for the environments of each particular structure It should have a long service life, ideally equal to the life of the bridge

TYPICAL SOURCES OF JOINT MOVEMENT THAT OCCUR ON BRIDGES Straight thermal movement Racking movements of skewed joints Progressively closing joints or opening joints Vibratory movement from heavy traffic loadings Slab end rotation Articulating movements