EXPERIMENTAL DOWEL INSTALLATIONS IN NEW JERSEY

THIS PAPER CONSTITUTES A REPORT ON THE BEHAVIOR OF A NUMBER OF EXPERIMENTAL DOWELS INSTALLED IN 1946 AND 1947 IN A SERIES OF EXPANSION JOINTS. BASICALLY, THE DOWELS CONSISTED OF 1 1/4-INCH-DIAMETER STEEL BARS, 18 INCHES LONG, TO WHICH HAD BEEN APPLIED VARIOUS KINDS OF COATINGS AND PROTECTIVE TREATMENTS. THESE INSTALLATIONS WERE INITIATED AS A RESULT OF SERIOUS DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED WITH CERTAIN PAVEMENTS IN WHICH, AFTER ABOUT 8 YEARS, THERE WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VERY HIGH DEGREE OF RESTRAINT TO THE OPENING OF THE JOINTS, WHICH IN TURN RESULTED IN OVERSTRESSING AND FAILURE OF THE REINFORCING STEEL. INVESTIGATIONS DISCLOSED THAT THE RESTRAINT WAS DUE TO THE CORROSION AND RESULTING SEIZURE OF THE DOWELS. THE PURPOSE OF THESE INSTALLATIONS WAS, THEREFORE, TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VARIOUS COATINGS AND PROTECTIVE TREATMENTS IN PREVENTING THE CORROSION OF DOWELS, AND IN PROMOTING AND PERPETUATING THEIR FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT IN THE CONCRETE. DURING CONSTRUCTION, GAUGE PLUGS WERE INSTALLED AT ALL OF THE JOINTS. MEASUREMENTS TAKEN PERIODICALLY SHOWED THAT CERTAIN OF THE JOINTS BECAME PROGRESSIVELY NARROWER, WHICH WAS IN TURN COMPENSATED FOR BY AN ABNORMAL WIDENING OF THE OTHER JOINTS. DURING THE LATTER PART OF 1954, IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THIS BEHAVIOR, A NUMBER OF THE DOWELS WERE REMOVED FOR DETAILED EXAMINATION. THE CONDITIONS FOUND ARE DESCRIBED. /AUTHOR/

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  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Vol 34, pp 8-33, 16 FIG, 6 TAB. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
  • Authors:
    • Van Breemen, W
  • Publication Date: 1955

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 11-14, 1955
  • Serial:

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00207336
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Jun 5 1972 12:00AM