Movement Joints

Engr. Sehrish Khan

UET Lahore, Narowal Campus

Movement Joints
 Movement joints are used in structures to allow for
movement and to avoid cracking.
 Movements in a building are due to change in the volume
of building material, volume changes due to change in
temperature
 Movement joints must be properly designed for load
bearing & non load bearing components.
Types of Movement Joints
Movement joints are of following types
1. Expansion joints
2. Control/Contraction joints
3. Isolation joints
4. Construction/Cold joints
1- Expansion Joints
The joints are formed by providing a gap between the
building parts. Expansion joints are provided to
accommodate movement and it prevents cracking due to;
 Changes in temperature
 Elastic deformation due to loads
Expansion joints may be horizontal or vertical. The building
longer than 45m are generally provided with one or
more expansion joints.
Expansion Joints
 Expansion Joints Materials
Typical detail of material used in expansion joint is;
 Sealants are used on exterior side.

 Foam pad, neoprene pad or lopper water stop is used

from inside
 Sealant must conform ASTM C 920

Many sealants are available in market but elastomeric sealants

are the best. They are Highly elasticity & have high
resistance to weather.
Sealants are of three types;
1. Urethanes

2. Silicones

3. Polysulfide
2- Control/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.
 Control joints are planned cracks which allow for
movements caused by temperature changes and
shrinkage.

Forming of vertical contraction joint.

3- Isolation Joints
 These joints are provided where it separates a portion of a
building from the rest of building.
 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.
 Stress developed due to loading in that section will not
effect the rest of the building
4- Construction/Cold Joint
 It is mainly used in concrete construction where
construction work is required to stop, these joints are
provided.
 A cold joint is a plane of weakness in concrete caused by
an interruption or delay in the concreting operations.
 It occurs when the first batch of concrete has begun to set
before the next batch is added, so that the two batches do
not intermix.
Construction/Cold Joints