Expansion

Joints
→ Modular expansion joint
→ Pedestrian expansion joint
→ Rubber expansion joint
→ Simple expansion joint
→ Finger expansion joint

Calle Can Nadal s/n Nave 1-A +34 938 63 42 50

08185 Lliça de Vall mk4@mekano4.com
Barcelona – Spain www.mekano4.com
→ Expansion Joints

01 Introduction
Page 03

02 Types of expansions joints

Page 04 - Page 06

03 Selection of expansion joints

Page 07 - Page 09

04 Technical specifics of expansion joints

Page 10 - Page 13

05 Installation
Page 14 - Page 19

06 Quality control and testing

Page 20 - Page 21
 Introduction
→ Expansion Joints

01

MK4 Expansion joints is a device which allows relative movements

between two deck of a structure. To succeed, a joint must
accomplish the following functions:

→ Assure freedom of deck’s movements.

→ Provide continuity to the wearing course and be capable to
support the traffic loads.
→ Be able to avoid noise, impacts and vibrations.
→ Have good sealing properties and allow surface water
evacuation.

The proper execution of an expansion joint is essential to achieve

a lasting job that complies with the regulations of the technical
building normative.

Expansion joints provide a continuous road surface to all users of

a road or railway while at the same time ensuring water tightness
as well as allowing every displacement or rotation expected at
the structure. The aim of the present PTD is allowing the PM to
select the most suitable model of joint according to the project
specifications.

→ A30 Montreal- Canada

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 Types of
→ Expansion Joints

02

expansions joints
→ MEJ | Modular Expansions Joints

High performance steel bridge joint where total movement gap is

divided into individual gaps, where expansion/contraction is
ensured by a rubber V-shape profile linking two steel beams.
Center beams ensure bearing capacity and road surface
continuity towards traffic loads, while rubber profiles ensure
water tightness and movement capacity.

→ SEJ | Simple Expansion Joints

Simple Expansion Joint is a mechanically sealed joint with an

extruded elastomeric seal retained by various options of profiled
steel extrusions, referred to as edge beams. The elastomeric seal,
usually named strip seal, is mechanically locked into the cavity
of steel extrusions to prevent the ingress of water or debris. At the
side of steel extrusions, anchorage is affixed to be attached to
the structure elements by a typical method of pouring
high-strength concrete mortar, or other elastomeric mortar. This
armored joint system is designed to cater for movement ranging
from 0mm to 100mm, while movements and rotations in all three
axes are possible without any restraints.

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 T Y P ES O F
→ Expansion Joints E X PA N S I O N S J O I N T

→ FEJ | Finger Expansion Joints

High performance steel expansion joint allowing absorption of

deck movements whilst bearing the traffic loads and avoiding
traffic disturbances. The steel fingers provide a robust surface
for traffic with low noise, and can be tailored to allow a great
variety of movements.

→ REJ | Rubber Expansion Joints

High performance elastomeric expansion joint allowing

absorption of deck movements and water evacuation, bearing
the traffic loads and avoiding the traffic disturbances. The
continuous rubber surface (with or without metal plates) ensures
water tightness at the joint level, without any need for additional
water removal devices below surface level. Thus, rubber
expansion joints can be installed on the thinnest structural slabs
and bridge decks.

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 T Y P ES O F
→ Expansion Joints E X PA N S I O N S J O I N T

→ PEJ | Pedestrian Expansion Joints

Pedestrian expansion joint is a mechanically sealed joint

designed for pedestrian traffic on bridge kerbs as well as
pedestrian bridges. It consist on a steel plate or elastomer slab
providing a continuous surface for the users which can slide over
another steel plate inserted on the kerb surface. An elastomeric
seal is mechanically locked into the cavity of steel extrusions to
prevent the ingress of water or debris. Below the steel plates,
anchorage is affixed to be attached to the structure elements by
a typical method of pouring high-strength concrete mortar or
other elastomeric mortar. This armored joint system is designed
to cater for movement matching those of the main expansion
joints, with an exterior surface conveniently treated to prevent
possible trips and slips by the users.

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 Selection of
→ Expansion Joints

03

expansion joints

TYPE OF EJ
PARAMETER
MEJ SEJ FEJ REJ PEJ

Horizontal Any Any Mainly Any Any

Movement direction direction longitudinal direction direction

Movements <2000mm <80mm <1000mm <1200mm <2000mm

(mm)

High Medium-high
Noise (7.5dB) (6dB) Low Medium Low
Level (3dB) (5dB) (2dB)
Subtype S, low Subtype S, low
(2.5dB) (2.5dB)

Bridge deck <350mm <250mm <200mm <200mm <200mm

thickness

Easy, snow
Cleaning Easy Easy Difficult ploughs can Easy
demage it

Little need, lane Easy for fingers,

Ease of by lane possible Little need, chance of lane
Easy, chance Easy
maintenance with special easy by lane of lane by lane
design

High High Medium-High Low (5-10 years) High

Service (20-25 years (20-25 years (20-25 years Unless supervised
Life (50 years)
for the rubber) for the rubber) for the fingers) at installation

All (beware
Type of steel surface All Inconvenient All Pedestrians
Traffic for braking) for 2 wheels

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 S E L E CT O F
→ Expansion Joints E X PA N S I O N J O I N TS

3.1 | Design Considerations

First item to consider must be the range of movements, which

limits the types of joints which can fit in the project.

→ Noise can be a selling point in urban areas, otherwise it’s not

important.

→ Deck thickness is usually not a problem, but can become key

when the slab is too thin (i.e. precast slabs <300mm). Installation
of expansion joints with a fully passing gap is possible (the joint
gets installed as a cantilever extension of the slab).

→ When comparing different type of joints, it is important to

consider the whole service life and not just the costs at
installation. Different joints have different performance, and
joints more expensive to install are usually cheaper to maintain in
the long run.

→ “Chance of lane by lane” means that, with the right selection

of modules size and/or design considerations, it is possible to set
up the joint in such a way that later on it will be able to be
replaced closing just one lane to traffic. Not every road can be
fully closed for repairs, especially urban ones, so planning this
issue in advance can be a good selling point.

→ PEJ should be encouraged for urban and pedestrian bridges.

If a full PEJ isn’t possible, we can provide steel cover plates for
pedestrian traffic areas over the other types of joints.

→ Aluminum joints are lighter than steel made ones, but they
can’t have infinite service life due to fatigue. Target service life
(total or before replacement) must be considered before offering
an aluminum joint.

→ Skew angle is not an issue, but make sure that the fingers of the
FEJ are aligned to traffic.

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 S E L E CT O F
→ Expansion Joints E X PA N S I O N J O I N TS

3.2 | Design Standards

Expansion joints can be designed under several standards, the

most usual ones being the European Technical Approval
Guideline (ETAG-032) and the AASHTO. Several other national
standards around the World are based on their formulas and
procedures, and in MK4 we have the required expertise to adjust
our standard expansion joints models to fulfil the requirements of
any of them.

The choice of one particular standard over another one does

have a very significant impact in terms of dimensions,
components, and associated joints of an expansion joint and
therefore must be carefully considered when there is no
country-specific code to follow in a particular project. MK4
expansion joints are designated with:

TYPE-SUBTYPE-MAXIMUM MOVEMENT. For example:

MEJ-N-0160 | For a Modular Expansion Joint of the normal type
with a maximum longitudinal movement capability of 160mm.
For example:

MODEL MOVEMENT TYPE

Modular Expansion Total movement M

longitudinal direction A
Joint | MEJ
in mm | 160

3.3 | Accessories
Sinus plates to reduce traffic noise up to 80% Up-turns to
prevent water slipping under the joint from the edges.

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 Technical
→ Expansion Joints

04

specifics of
expansion joints
4.1 | World MEJ - Modular Expansion Joint

Working principle and main components

1· Center beams: Take traffic loads down to the

support beams. They are made of I-shape steel
sections with a specific connection to hold the
sealing elements

2· Edge beams: They are made of Z-shape steel

sections which ensure contact surface with the
adjacent asphalt concrete

3· Support beams: They are made of steel I

shape elements with stainless steel toping plate
which ensures good sliding properties with
center beams. They are spaced every 1,2-2m 5
5
4· Yokes: these elements connect center beams 2
with support beams. They have sliding elements 2
with PTFE finishes to ensure good sliding
agaings Stainless Stell of the support bar. 1

5· Seal: Rubber profile which provides

movement capacity and waterthighness. Every
seal accounts for an expansion capacity of 60-80mm.

6· Sliding bearings: this element is made of elastomer (allowing rotation and

vertical displacement) and vulcanized PTFE allowing longitudinal
displacement.

7· Casing for support beam: This element houses the support beam and
slinding bearings. Dowels ensure good anchoring to the neighbouring
structure.

8· Spring system: this elastic system regulates the relative movement of the
center beams between them and over the support beams. They also damp the
punctual impact loading from traffic over a certain center beam

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 T E C H N I CA L S P E C I F I CS
→ Expansion Joints O F E X PA N S I O N J O I N TS

8
4

8
3

4.2 | World SEJ - Simple Expansion Joints

→ Edge beams: They are made of steel sections which ensure contact
surface with the adjacent asphalt concrete. Can be made on different
shapesdepending on the deck’s material and dimensions, which can be seen
in the following pictures

→ Elastomeric Seal: Rubber profile which provides movement capacity and

waterthighness. The elastomeric seal can be effectively inserted into the
cavity of the edgebeams without any screwed or bolted connections. Some
of the examples are the following

→ Anchorage: Edgebeams are rigidly connected to the main structure by

anchors directly welded to the edgebeams. The traffic loads transferred
from edgebeam to anchorages then to substructure. The anchorages are
embedded in high strength mortar to assure the maximum resistance of
traffic load.

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 T E C H N I CA L S P E C I F I CS
→ Expansion Joints O F E X PA N S I O N J O I N TS

4.3 | World FEJ - Finger Expansion Joints

Finger joints can be presented in 2 different sub-types,

depending on the project specific needs and movements.

→ Cantilever Joints FEJ-C: Adequate for small to middle

movements (60-500 mm), their fingers don´t touch the opposing
side of the gap. They allow small transversal movements (±10
mm) and can be installed on non horizontal decks more easily
than the other sub-type of finger expansion joint.

→ Sliding Joints FEJ-B: their fingers slide on the other side of the
gap, thus allowing for greater sliding distances and more robust
finger design for super heavy traffic. Their transversal movement
capability is very small, so they should better be considered as
longitudinal movements only joints

4.4 | World REJ - Rubber Expansion Joints

Horizontal movements of the deck are accommodated by the
elastomeric joint, originating expansion or contraction of the
elastomeric band. Live forces due to braking of vehicles and
permanent reactions due to shrinkage and creep effect of
concrete are transmitted by the anchor heads plus friction
between the rubber and the concrete.

→ Basic component: Joint module (BxLxA) constituted of two

bonded/vulcanised elements: rubber band [1] and steel plates
[2]

→ Basic accessories: Anchor bolts [3], consituted of a nut+fitted

rod+ washer

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 T E C H N I CA L S P E C I F I CS
→ Expansion Joints O F E X PA N S I O N J O I N TS

4.5 | World PEJ - Pedestrian Expansion Joints

→ Pedestrian Slabs: They are made of steel sections which

ensure contact surface with the adjacent kerb surface.

→ Elastomeric Seal: Rubber profile which provides movement

capacity and waterthighness. The elastomeric seal can be
effectively attached to the bridge gap with screwed or bolted
connections, or else extended between the surface plates and
base plates for extra water isolation (SPEJ-C only)

→ Anchorage: Edge beams are rigidly connected to the main

structure by anchors directly welded to the pedestrian slabs. The
traffic loads transferred from edgebeam to anchorages then to
substructure. The anchorages are embedded in the kerb’s mortar
to guarantee an adequate connection between joint and
structure.

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 Installation
→ Expansion Joints

05

→ For installation procedure, please refer to MK4 installation

manual.

→ If the required gap depth is equal to the deck thickness,

formwork below the bridge will be necessary and the joint shall
be installed as a cantilever extension of the deck. Connection to
the reinforcing bars will require special design by MK4 Technical
Department.

5.1 | Main steps for REJ / MEJ models

are as follows:

→ Saw cut asphalt surface in a width A+G+B and remove the

asphalt and concrete. Keep the existing bridge reinforcement
bars. When finish, clean the recess from debris with compressed
air debris

→ Pour leveling mortar (Sikagrout 314 or Sika patch 5 or

Masterflow 928(BASF) or similar max height 3cm).

→ Set the joint to the predetermined expansion gap and lower it

by crane into the recess. Steel support blocks should be
previously placed. In transversal beams areas, the existing
reinforcement bars should be bended if interference. Where
necessary joint assemblies must be bolted or welded to form
continuous length.

→ Install longitudinal reinforcement according to the design.

Connect new and existing reinforcement bars.

→ Install formwork for joint gap if required and pour with

concrete up to 5cm below final asphalt elevation.

→ Place final layer (Epoxy asphalt material such as Resitar 30M

or equivalent, or mix hot asphalt and a layer of 10cm Epoxy
based material). For this second option a vibrating/compacting
machine is required.

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 I N STA L L AT I O N
→ Expansion Joints

5.2 | Steps for SEJ /MEJ

→ The necessary Modular EJ will be identified and will be checked

with the one received at the jobsite. It is important to verify that
there are no damages caused by the transport to the jobsite or
during the storage in the jobsite. Storage must be done on
wooden beams (approx. 12cm x 12 cm) placed horizontally and
under the joist boxes to avoid tensions and torsion within the EJ.

→ MEJ over wooden beams for inspection

a) The length of the Modular EJ will be checked against the width

of the deck where to install.

b) The presetting value needs to be confirmed (for example, at

15ºC) and the movement per ºC needs to be asked to the design
engineer of the jobsite.

→ Initial situation of the rebar and concrete.

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 I N STA L L AT I O N
→ Expansion Joints

→ EJ safely lifted with crane and inserted in position

→ Adjustment of the rebar to host the

joist box as needed.

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 I N STA L L AT I O N
→ Expansion Joints

→ Expansion joint being adjusted to the definitive position.

Aluminium bar checking alignment with the road.

→ New rebar welded to the existing one as a temporary support

of one side of the EJ.

→ Cutting the lifting hooks.

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 I N STA L L AT I O N
→ Expansion Joints

→ Then, we can remove the I Beams and proceed with the current
temperature adjustment.

→ Final situation of the installed EJ prior

to installation of rebar and concrete.

→ Sketch of shuttering plates and sealing

installed in the recess box.

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→ Expansion Joints

06

MEJ during concreting

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 Quality Control
→ Expansion Joints

06

And Testing
→ Quality Control
Tight tolerances permit long term success. MK4 develops a
checklist of tolerances to be recorded for each joint. This
checklist is like a birth certificate; it describes every step of
production, every critical measurement to be recorded, and this
document is provided to the client as proof of complete quality
control.

→ Elastic Connection
MK4 Modular expansion Joint Design does not weld the Center
Beam to the Support Bar, instead using Elastic components, MK4
design creates and Elastic Connection. This eliminatesa fatigue
problem of welds and permits damping of the modular joints
through the elastomeric component. control.

→ Corrosion Resistance
All exposed steel components of each EJ are protected against
corrosion through sand blast cleaning and being either hot
dipped galvanized or painted with an inorganic zinc paint
system. Method depends on the specifications of each individual
project.

→ Parallel Support Bars

MK4 MEJ design has Parallel Support Bars that can be aligned
with the wheel lanes. Parallel Support Bars provide sufficient
clearance for concrete and reinforcing steel. Support bar
spacing can be reduced for larger truck loading conditions.

Outside the box MEJ design accommodates easy replacement of

all the smaller components such as Slide Bearings and Slide
Springs. This is due to these smaller components being outside of
any restrictive box, allowing accessibility for quick and easy
replacement when necessary.

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 Q UA L I T Y C O N T R O L

Testing of Modular
A N D T EST I N G
→ Expansion Joints

Joints
Three specimens of the MK4 Single Bar Modular Bridge Expansion
Joint (MBEJ) with welded stirrups were tested in fatigue
according to the requirements of the NCHRP-402 Report, the
AASHTO Bridge Construction Specifications and AASHTO LRFD
1998 Bridge Design Code. The fatigue testing was carried out at
the Structures laboratory at École de Technologie Supérieure,
University of Quebec.

→ Welded Stirrups
Test results were used to produce an experimental fatigue curve
of the stirrup details with all points located above the AASHTO
Fatigue curve for Category C welds. Hence it can be concluded
that the fatigue resistance of the welded stirrup connection
detail of the MK4 MEJ Single Bar System is compatible with (and
qualifies for) the fatigue Category C of the AASHTO LRFD 1998
Bridge Design Code. (See Figure 8).

Figure 8 - Seq –N test

points obtained for stirrups
from Fatigue tests

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www.mekano4.com

Calle Can Nadal s/n Nave 1-A

08185 Lliça de Vall
Barcelona – Spain

+34 938 63 42 50
mk4@mekano4.com

Mekano4