Construction Joints in Concrete Structures - Structural Guide

1/19/22, 1:17 PM Construction Joints in Concrete Structures - Structural Guide
Structural loads, structural analysis and structural design are simply

explained with the worked example for easiness of understanding.
Element designs with notes and discussions have added to get
comprehensive knowledge. Also, construction materials, shoring
system design, water retaining structures, crack width calculations, etc.
have discussed in addition to other aspects.
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» 11 Methods for Curing of Concrete
» 6 Factors Affecting Curing Time of
Concrete
» Advantages of Prestressed Concrete
No structure is built without
» All about Mechanical Couplers
construction joints. Construction
» All about Workability of Concrete
joints in concrete are inevitable as wePrivacy - Terms
https://www.structuralguide.com/construction-joints/ 1/15
» Brick Cracks [types and course] cannot finish the work at once.
» Comprehensive Study on Waterstops Depending on the type of structural
» Compressive Strength of Concrete and
elements, vertical and horizontal
Concrete Testing
construction joints are provided at
» Concrete Column Forms [Design &
different stages of construction.
Construction]
» Concrete Pouring Steps and Techniques
The number of construction joints
» Concrete Slump Classes
depends on the various factors such
» Construction Joints in Concrete
Structures as availability of resources, time to be
» Control Joints in Concrete [a deep study] spent to complete a pour, the
» Cover to Reinforcement Bars maximum possible supply of
» Excavation for Foundation [shallow and concrete, nature of the structure,
deep] thermal contractions, etc.
» Inclined Column Design
» Key Factors Affecting Strength of Concrete Vertical construction joints widely
» Lintel [a comprehensive study on types of applied in the construction and
lintel]
horizontal construction joints are
» Methods of Setting Out of Slabs
used for quite a few elements. Further,
» Pile Foundation Construction Problems
mostly it is suggested to avoid the
and Solutions
» Plinth Beams [impact on structure] horizontal construction joints as
» Screed Concrete much as possible. However, there are
» Self Compacting Concrete occasions that we cannot avoid the
» Shear key [ Purpose, types, design, horizontal construction joints. For
construction details] example in the construction of a
» Types of Beams
concrete wall, we cannot avoid
» Types of Concrete Blocks
construction joint just above the base.
» Types of Concrete Joints [ A Detailed
Study]
Let’s discuss the advantage of
► Design Loads (5)
construction joints in concrete
► Design to BS 5950 (4)
structures.
► Design to BS 8110 (13)
► Design to EC2 (12)
► Design to EC3 (5) Advantages
► Foundation Design (18)
1. Providing construction joint in
► Geotechnical Design (11)
concrete limits the area to be
► Materials (30)
► Post Tension (2)
concreted in a one pour. For
► Retaining Structures (11) example, when there is a large
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► Seismic Design (8) area to be concreted, we divide

► Servisibility Design (16) the area into several pours. It
► Special Designs (25)
speeds up the construction work
► Structural Detaling (14)
as part completion of work can
► Structural Failures (5)
proceed to concrete work.
► Testing (13)
2. Further, a large area cannot be
concreted within a day. It will take
a long time and a huge volume of
concrete could be required.
Therefore, as per the capacity of
the batching plants and the
contractor’s human resource, the
size of the pours could be
selected.
3. When the thick concrete is
constructed, there will be
additional stresses in the
concrete due to the restains in the
thermal contractions. A thick
foundation like raft foundations
could do the concrete in several
pours to avoid this issue to the
restrains.
Disadvantages
1. Having construction joints in
water retaining structures always
add a certain risk to its
serviceability. There are higher
chances of leaking the water
through the construction joint.
We have to provide the water bars
as a solution which is a cost to the
project.
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2. All the construction joints need to

prepare properly before the next
pour. Further, additional
reinforcements need to be
provided for joints of this nature.
Beam
Construction
Joints
When beams are constructed in two
different stages, we have to provide
construction joints. The type of
construction joint is based on the
span, load, and the location of the
joint, etc.
Smaller beams that transferring

smaller bending and shear forces, the
general joint could be provided
without many details. However, for
beams carrying higher loads, much
attention shall be made.
Where to provide
beam construction
joints
In general, the bending moment of
the beam becomes nearly zero at the
one-third of the span. Further, since
the joint in the beam is vertical, it is
advisable to provide it where the
bending moment is lesser.
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In addition, the shear force of the

beam also becomes lesser away from
the span. Therefore, generally, we
provide construction joints nearly at
one-third of the span.
However, depending on the condition

of the site and as recommended by
the structural engineer final position
and arrangement of the joint could be
finalized.
Beam Construction
Joint Detail
No construction joints are kept at
cantilever beams. The details shown
below could be used for construction.
Providing dowel bars is not a must

especially for smaller beams. Further,
the construction joint shall be
chipped adequately before placing
the second pour.
Slab Construction
Joint
Construction joints are kept at the site
as discussed above as a measure to
improve the constructability.
Depending on the use of the slab and
as per the structural requirements
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applicable construction details are

provided.
Mainly there are two types of slabs.

They are in normal construction slabs
and slabs in water retaining
structures.
When there is a water tank, a water

bar shall be provided for the
construction joint as an additional
requirement to avoid water leakages
through the construction joint.
In construction, it is not necessarily

required to follow the above detail,
and some times a chipped concrete
surface will also be considered based
on the spans and applied loads.
Further, timber planks made in the

shape of the construction joint shear
key is fixed to the side formwork.
These keys could be fixed at a spacing
of 600mm spacing.
Column
Construction
Joints
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Horizontal construction joints will

always need to provide construction
requirements. It could be at the floor
level and just below the beam. Those
two joints cannot be avoided.
Depending on the resource

availability and as per the other
construction practices, the may be
additional construction joint in
concrete columns.
When the concrete is poured into

concrete columns, there will be a soft
ground layer on the top of the
finished concrete. It shall be removed
before place the new concrete.
Most of the time, it can be observed

that columns are not chipped
adequately to remove the top week
concrete layer which does not have
adequate strength. It can be
considered as a construction defect
and type of column failure.
Wall Construction
Joint
Construction joint just above the
base/foundation could not be
avoided. Further, a water bar could be
provided if the wall is constructed to
retain the water.
In addition, it could be required to

provide water bars at the construction
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joint where there is a requirement for

water tightness.
When there is a water bar in the

construction joint in the wall it could
or it could not continue through the
base. When the construction joint
continues through the base like in the
water tank, the water bar shall be
continued throughout the base also.
Construction joints in
Large Retaining Walls
When the dimension of the retaining
walls is becoming significantly larger,
usually a construction joint with a
shear key can not be provided.
Providing one shear key would not be
sufficient and there will be stress
concentration along this joint.
There is a special check to be

done at the construction joints
when larger retaining walls or
structures having very high
lateral loads are designed. The
hight shear force is applied at
the horizontal construction
joints located at the lower level.
The friction of the concrete is
the key factor that limits the
movement. Since we know the
cohesion of the concrete and the
surface area of the joint,
resisting force can be
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calculated. Thus, we can check

the stability.
Due to the above reasons and many

others, several shear keys are
provided over the cross-sections.
Especially when the retaining walls is

longer, it can not be concrete at once
and by a single pour. Therefore,
concrete is done in several pours. A
construction joint will be provided at
the connection of the pours. The
following sketch indicates the
arrangement of such construction
joints.
Construction
Joints in Tunnels Privacy - Terms
Mainly, there will be two construction

joints in the tunnel construction. That
is at both ends and just above the
base. However, there may be several
construction joints in tunnels based
on the construction requirements.
The article Tunnel Design

discusses more on the design
aspects that could be useful if
read.
The construction joint at the above

base is very difficult to avoid. Properly
chipped construction joints could
provide adequate strength combining
with reinforcements.
Depending on the water tightness

requirements, a water bar will be
provided at the construction joint.
Construction joint needs to be water

tightened especially when the rock
cover is not adequate to stabilize the
pressure exerted by the tunnel on the
rock. Tunnels constructed to flow the
water and excavated through the rock
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will have very high pressures at high

heads.
The outlet gate is constructed close to

the location where the tunnel is
ended. Due to the slop of the rock,
some times the thickness of the rock
may not be sufficient to provide the
stability. In such a situation, the
tunnel lining needs to be
strengthened to carry internal
pressure loads.
Further, construction joints in such

tunnels need to be strengthened
adequately. The introduction of the
shear key etc. shall be decided based
on the applied pressure. More
importantly, a water bar shall be
prived at the construction joint to
avoid the water leakages through the
joints.
If the water leaking, it will apply

pressure on the tunnel around the
rock. Significant development of the
pressure could lead to cracking of the
rock resulting in the loss of stiffness
provided by the rock.
Further, the elongation, strength,

width, etc shall be checked before
installing the water bar. It is a must to
embed a good water bar in joints of
this nature.
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Concrete Joints in
Spillway
Construction of spillways is not
common, but there are special
techniques used in the construction
of structures of this nature.
Mostly, most of the hydraulic

structures are gravity structures with
particularly reinforced. The very high
mass of concrete poured into the
concrete maintains the stability of the
structure against the gravity loads and
the horizontal loads applied to them.
Vertical as well as horizontal

construction joints are provided in the
structures of this nature due to the
high volume of concrete to be poured.
Even we have a construction joint, we
may have to pour the concrete than
we do usually.
The above figure indicates the pattern

of shear keys of a spillway ogee. Due
to the very high pressure applied on
the ogee by the water, there as more
shear keys than a singe shear key.
Further, it distributes the lateral forces
Privacy - Terms
evenly throughout the section than

stressing a particular area like a singe
shear key.
Further, providing a singe shear would

need a more detailed analysis of the
distribution of stresses in the section.
Internal forces could lead to cracking
of the concrete if they are not
identified at the design stage
correctly.
In addition to the above, both the

construction and contraction joints
are provided in the construction of
structures of this nature.
Construction
Joints in Raft
Foundations
Raft foundations are the construction
of different stages. Concrete pouring
is done by several pours.
Waiting till all the area is completed is

not practical. Part by part can be
concrete at different stages. Thus, the
superstructure is also can proceed
with the construction effectively.
Smaller the area is easier to construct.

Further, different teams can be
employed for each pour to speed up
the work.
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The nature and type of the

construction joint of the raft
foundations are more similar to that
of the slab.
The diameter of the dowel bar could

be T25 or T20. Since the raft
foundations are constructed on the
ground and it could be using as the
ground floor or basement floor slab, a
water bar will be provided at the
construction joint.
The bar could be laid in the middle of

the shear key. Further, a mild steel
water bar or PVC water could be used
for the construction.
The article published in the concrete

network  is also worth reading.
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All about Compreh Shear key

Mechanic ensive [ Purpose,
al Study on types,
Couplers Waterstop design,
s constructi
on
details]
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1/19/22, 1:17 PM Construction Joints in Concrete Structures - Structural Guide

Structural loads, structural analysis and structural design are simply

CATEGORIES DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Comparison of cube strength and cylinder

► Seismic Design (8) area to be concreted, we divide

2. All the construction joints need to

Smaller beams that transferring

In addition, the shear force of the

However, depending on the condition

Providing dowel bars is not a must

applicable construction details are

Mainly there are two types of slabs.

When there is a water tank, a water

In construction, it is not necessarily

Further, timber planks made in the

Horizontal construction joints will

Depending on the resource

When the concrete is poured into

Most of the time, it can be observed

In addition, it could be required to

joint where there is a requirement for

When there is a water bar in the

There is a special check to be

calculated. Thus, we can check

Due to the above reasons and many

Especially when the retaining walls is

Mainly, there will be two construction

The article Tunnel Design

The construction joint at the above

Depending on the water tightness

Construction joint needs to be water

will have very high pressures at high

The outlet gate is constructed close to

Further, construction joints in such

If the water leaking, it will apply

Further, the elongation, strength,

Mostly, most of the hydraulic

Vertical as well as horizontal

The above figure indicates the pattern

evenly throughout the section than

Further, providing a singe shear would

In addition to the above, both the

Waiting till all the area is completed is

Smaller the area is easier to construct.

The nature and type of the

The diameter of the dowel bar could

The bar could be laid in the middle of

The article published in the concrete

 YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

All about Compreh Shear key

MAIN CATEGORIES LATEST ARTICLES RANDOM ARTICLE

Design Design Anchorage Length in

Tension Retaining Reinforcement Testing [in

Design Special Email*

SHARE THE JOY

Structural Guide © 2022. All Rights Reserved.

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