CONSTRUCTION JOINTS IN CONCRETE STRUCTURES

BY PRASAD ·

No structure is built without construction joints. Construction joints in concrete are inevitable
as we cannot finish the work at once. Depending on the type of structural elements, vertical
and horizontal construction joints are provided at different stages of construction.

The number of construction joints depends on the various factors such as availability of
resources, time to be spent to complete a pour, the maximum possible supply of concrete,
nature of the structure, thermal contractions, etc.

Vertical construction joints widely applied in the construction and horizontal construction joints
are used for quite a few elements. Further, mostly it is suggested to avoid the horizontal
construction joints as much as possible. However, there are occasions that we cannot avoid the
horizontal construction joints. For example in the construction of a concrete wall, we cannot
avoid construction joint just above the base.

Let’s discuss the advantage of construction joints in concrete structures.

Advantages
1. Providing construction joint in concrete limits the area to be concreted in a one
pour. For example, when there is a large area to be concreted, we divide the area
into several pours. It speeds up the construction work as part completion of work
can proceed to concrete work.
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.
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.

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
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

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 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 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

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 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, sometimes 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.
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 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 concreted at different
stages. Thus, the superstructure can proceed with the construction effectively.

A smaller the area is easier to construct. Further, different teams can be employed for each
pour to speed up the work.

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.
EXTRACT FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE BY REYNOLDS (BASED ON BS 8110: 1997)

Types of Joints in Concrete Constructions

Types of joints in concrete constructions are:

1. Construction Joints

2. Expansion Joints

3. Contraction Joints

4. Isolation Joints
1. Construction Joints
Construction joints are placed in a concrete slab to define the extent of the individual placements,
generally in conformity with a predetermined joint layout. Construction joints must be designed in
order to allow displacements between both sides of the slab but, at the same time, they have to
transfer flexural stresses produced in the slab by external loads. Construction joints must allow
horizontal displacement right-angled to the joint surface that is normally caused by thermal and
shrinkage movement. At the same time they must not allow vertical or rotational displacements.
Fig.1 summarizes which displacement must be allowed or not allowed by a construction joint.

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Fig.2: Types of Construction Joints in Concrete Structures
2. Expansion joints
The concrete is subjected to volume change due to many reasons. So we have to cater for this by
way of joint to relieve the stress. Expansion is a function of length. The building longer than 45m are
generally provided with one or more expansion joint. In india recommended c/c spacing is 30m. The
joints are formed by providing a gap between the building parts. Also Read: Expansion Joint in
Concrete – Types and Characteristics

3. Contraction Joints
A contraction joint is a sawed, formed, or tooled groove in a concrete slab that creates a weakened
vertical plane. It regulates the location of the cracking caused by dimensional changes in the slab.
Unregulated cracks can grow and result in an unacceptably rough surface as well as water
infiltration into the base, subbase and subgrade, which can enable other types of pavement
distress. Contraction joints are the most common type of joint in concrete pavements, thus the
generic term "joint" generally refers to a contraction joint. Contraction joints are chiefly defined by
their spacing and their method of load transfer. They are generally between 1/4 - 1/3 the depth of
the slab and typically spaced every 3.1 - 15 m

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Also Read: Contraction Joint in Concrete – Their Location and Construction

4. Isolation Joints
Joints that isolate the slab from a wall, column or drainpipe

Isolation joints have one very simple purpose—they completely isolate the slab from something
else. That something else can be a wall or a column or a drain pipe. Here are a few things to
consider with isolation joints: Walls and columns, which are on their own footings that are deeper
than the slab subgrade, are not going to move the same way a slab does as it shrinks or expands
from drying or temperature changes or as the subgrade compresses a little.

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Even wooden columns should be isolated from the slab. If slabs are connected to walls or columns
or pipes, as they contract or settle there will be restraint, which usually cracks the slab—although it
could also damage pipes (standpipes or floor drains). Expansion joints are virtually never needed
with interior slabs, because the concrete doesn't expand that much—it never gets that hot.
Expansion joints in concrete pavement are also seldom needed, since the contraction joints open
enough (from drying shrinkage) to account for temperature expansion. The exception might be
where a pavement or parking lot are next to a bridge or building—then we simply use a slightly
wider isolation joint (maybe ¾ inch instead of ½ inch). Blowups, from expansion of concrete due to
hot weather and sun, are more commonly caused by contraction joints that are not sealed and that
then fill up with non-compressible materials (rocks, dirt). They can also be due to very long

unjointed sections.
Very long unjointed sections can expand enough from the hot sun to cause blow ups, but this is
rare. Isolation joints are formed by placing preformed joint material next to the column or wall or
standpipe prior to pouring the slab. Isolation joint material is typically asphalt-impregnated
fiberboard, although plastic, cork, rubber, and neoprene are also available. Isolation joint material
should go all the way through the slab, starting at the subbase, but should not extend above the
top. For a cleaner looking isolation joint, the top part of the preformed filler can be cut off and the
space filled with elastomeric sealant. Some proprietary joints come with removable caps to form
this sealant reservoir. Joint materials range from inexpensive asphalt-impregnated fiberboard to
cork to closed cell neoprene. Cork can expand and contract with the joint, does not extrude, and
seals out water. Scott Whitelam with APS Cork says that the required performance is what
determines the choice of joint materials. How much motion is expect, exposure to salts or
chemicals, and the value of the structure would all come into play—and of course the
cost. Polyethylene foam isolation joint material comes in various colors. C2 Products At columns,
contraction joints should approach from all four directions ending at the isolation joint, which
should have a circular or a diamond shaped configuration around the column. For an I-beam type
steel column, a pinwheel configuration can work. Always place the slab concrete first and do not
install the isolation joint material and fill around the column until the column is carrying its full dead
load. Read More: What is Cold Joint in Concrete? Methods of Treating Cold Joints
Difference between Control Joint and Expansion Joint?
Sealing of Various Types of Joints in Building Construction