ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM STATE REPORTS

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS INITIATED IN 1940 AS A COOPERATIVE EFFORT BY SIX STATES AND THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON THE NEED FOR EXPANSION JOINTS IN CONCRETE PAVEMENTS. THE EXPERIMENTAL PAVEMENTS CONSTRUCTED FOR THIS INVESTIGATION WERE WIDELY DISPERSED AND COVERED A WIDE RANGE IN SUBGRADE AS WELL AS CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. IT WAS FOUND THAT IN PAVEMENTS WITH EXPANSION JOINTS SPACED AT WHAT WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A DESIRABLE INTERVAL AND INTERMEDIATE CONTRACTION JOINTS AT SUFFICIENTLY CLOSE INTERVALS TO CONTROL TRANSVERSE CRACKING THERE WAS A TENDENCY FOR THE EXPANSION JOINTS TO OPEN AND CLOSE PROGRESSIVELY WITH TIME. THESE MOVEMENTS PROGRESS RAPIDLY DURING THE EARLY LIFE OF THE PAVEMENT AND WITHIN A FEW YEARS ARE OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO DESTROY AGGREGATE INTERLOCK IN CONTRACTION JOINTS OF THE WEAKENED PLANE TYPE. WHERE THE EXPANSION JOINTS WERE ELIMINATED OR WIDELY SPACED THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE OR NO TENDENCY FOR THE CONTRACTION JOINTS TO OPEN PROGRESSIVELY. ON THE BASIS OF THE 5-YEAR PROGRESS REPORTS THE PRACTICE OF MANY OF THE STATES WITH RESPECT TO EXPANSION JOINTS HAS CHANGED. TODAY PRACTICALLY EVERY STATE HAS ELIMINATED EXPANSION JOINTS IN NONREINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS EXCEPT AT STRUCTURES AND OTHER SPECIAL LOCATIONS. THIS HAS RESULTED IN PAVEMENTS WHICH OFFER GREATER RESISTANCE TO PUMPING AND FAULTING BECAUSE OF THE BETTER MAINTENANCE OF AGGREGATE INTERLOCK IN THE CONTRACTION JOINTS. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbresearchrpts/1956/17b-001.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • 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.
• Corporate Authors:

  Highway Research Board (HRB)

  Washington, DC   
• Authors:
  • Sutherland, Earl C
• Publication Date: 1956

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 11p
• Monograph Title: Joint spacing in concrete pavements: 10 year reports on six experimental projects
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Research Reports
  • Issue Number: 17B
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggregates; Climate; Concrete pavements; Contraction; Expansion joints; Faulting; Pumps; Spacing; Transverse cracking
• Old TRIS Terms: Interlocking
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00207414
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 22 1972 12:00AM