Why do bridges have expansion joints

They stop the bridge from bending out of place in extreme conditions, and also allow enough vertical movement to permit bearing replacement without the need to dismantle the bridge expansion joint.

RJ Watson has developed and installed Expansion Joint Systems on multitudes of bridges, highways and parking decks throughout the world. The Silicoflex Joint Sealing System is an innovative highway and bridge expansion joint system that is cost effective, easy to install and offers a long, effective sealing life.

RJW Finger Joints for are cantilevered or simply supported steel tooth bridge expansion joints. They are composed of pairs of independent elements with parallel teeth provided in lengths from 3 feet to full roadway widths. ZED Seal is an enhanced co-polymer foam designed to give greater resilience and higher tensile and tear performance.

ZED Seal will permanently bond to concrete, steel or elastomeric concrete expansion joint surfaces. Poly-Tron is an easy to mix, three component, modified polyurethane elastomeric concrete.

The specification and selection of expansion joints When designing a new structure, the engineer will take into account how it will react to external factors.

What defines how we choose a movement joint? Cookies Settings. Cookie Settings. Privacy settings Decide which cookies you want to allow. You can change these settings at any time. However, this can result in some functions no longer being available. Note: ct-ultimate-gdpr-cookie is a mandatory cookie used to record your preferences. Learn more about the cookies we use. This website will Essential: Remember your cookie permission setting Essential: Allow session cookies Essential: Gather information you input into a contact forms newsletter and other forms across all pages Essential: Keep track of what you input in a shopping cart Essential: Authenticate that you are logged into your user account Essential: Remember language version you selected.

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Currently we do not use targeting or targeting cookies Advertising: Gather personally identifiable information such as name and location. But this comes to the challenge of corrosion and other environmental factors which can degrade the bridge expansion joints. It can be prevented by the use of robust hot-dip galvanizing. Numerous countries worldwide are making use of bridge expansion joints to provide adequate support and help to the bridges.

Given the importance of the expansion joints, you must know about the types and the factors to consider you need to know before purchasing them. It is the proper installation and maintenance of the bridge which leads to failure. When the bridges do not have expansion joints installed, they lack adequate flexibility and smooth movement. Further, the structure can collapse, leading to great damage. Thus, it is essential to use bridge expansion joints during the bridge construction.

Given the important use of expansion joints, you must make a purchase from a reputable manufacturer as this will guarantee quality and safety. The expansion joints are widely used to hold the parts together while safely tolerating the temperature expansion and contraction of the structure.

They are designed to allow continuous traffic flow between structures while efficiently accommodating shrinkage, temperature movement, and other forces. It is the expansion joints that prevent the bridges from bending out due to extreme conditions. One can now easily find a number of expansion joints for various purposes.

However, there are two most essential types of expansion joints, which include. These bridge expansion joints allow the free flow of water and debris through the joint. They lead to debris build-up, which makes them an inefficient choice. These bridge expansion joints are efficient enough to prevent the movement of water and debris from penetrating inside.

When temperature causes changes in structure, it's referred to as thermal expansion or thermal contraction, and it's a phenomenon.

Practical Engineering took a look at how the weather affects everything, even something as simple as walking down the street. Intentional cracks in the sidewalk are a perfect example of how engineers deal with thermal expansion.

By filling these gaps with a flexible material, the engineers create what's known as a "expansion joint," something that's meant to help a structure keep its form even with shifting temperatures. Expansion joints come in all shapes and sizes, from clay bricks to molded rubber.