Common terms in rigid pavement construction

COMMON TERMS IN RIGID PAVEMENT CONSTRUCTION

Admixtures

Admixtures Are materials added to concrete in order to modify its properties.

Sealants

These are materials which fill the top inch of the joint and resists the entry of grit and water.

Fillers

These are materials which separate adjacent slabs so that they can expand.

Expansion Joints

Expansion joints provide gaps in the concrete to allow for expansion of slabs when the temperature 

rises above the temperature at which the concrete was laid.

Contraction Joints

Contraction joints are essentially breaks in the structural continuity of the concrete,permitting it to contract when the temperature falls below the temperature of laying.

Construction Joints

Construction joints are formed when work has to be unexpectedly interrupted at a point where no joint would otherwise be required, or sometimes when repair work has to be carried out.

Warping joints

Warping joints are simply breaks in the continuity of the concrete but opening of the joints is prevented by Tie-bars or reinforcement.

Longitudinal Joints

Longitudinal joints are joints normally placed between traffic lanes in rigid pavements to control longitudinal cracking.

Dowel Bars

This is a load transfer device in a rigid slab, usually consisting of a plain round steel bar.

Tie bar

This is a deformed steel bar or connector embedded across a joint in a rigid slab to prevent separation of abutting slabs.

Reinforcement

Steel embedded in a rigid slab to resist tensile stresses and detrimental opening of cracks.

JCP

Refers to Jointed concrete Pavement.

JRCP

Refers to Jointed reinforced concrete pavement.