WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CONTRACTION JOINTS IN CONCRETE AND WHY THEY MATTER
- By Southport Concrete Corp.
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- 20 Jul, 2018
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Concrete is an ideal construction material for countless numbers of applications due to the substance’s strength, reasonable cost, and ease of installation. Paving surfaces is one of the many uses for this flexible medium. However, concrete is prone to crack, and it is normal for even the best-laid concrete surface to develop hairline crevices.
While these tiny cracks are often insignificant, they are unsightly and detract from the overall appearance of the paved surface. You can preventing these cracks by installing contraction joints; below is more information about these important features and their installation.
WHY CONCRETE CRACKS OCCUR
As concrete cures, it will naturally contract and cause the formation of small cracks that align themselves randomly across the concrete. These tiny cracks are not initially capable of breaking the pavement apart, but, over time, moisture intrusion can lead to expansion of smaller fissures.
There are additional causes of concrete cracking, but those are more often caused by problems with the concrete mix recipe and improper finishing techniques.
HOW CONCRETE CRACKING CAN BE CONTROLLED OR SLOWED
It is common for contraction joints to be implemented as standard crack-prevention devices when pouring a concrete surface. Contraction joints are simply stops that penetrate a portion of concrete from the top-down. They work by serving as built-in weak spots that permit the concrete to crack in a controlled fashion.
Instead of a meandering tapestry of cracks appearing across the surface of the concrete, contraction joints hide the cracking along the bottoms and sides of the designated gaps. This provides cosmetic and structural advantages as opposed to permitting uncontrolled cracking to occur.
When adding a contraction joint, a crew needs to heed certain requirements to ensure the installation is done correctly. For example, contraction joints should be installed in such a way that permits each individual concrete surface to be square or as close to square as possible.
Another important consideration is to make sure the depth of contraction joints is no less than 25% of the total depth of the poured slab of concrete. If the pour is too shallow, the random cracking will not be influenced by the contraction joints.
Another best practice to follow when installing contraction joints is to place them as soon as possible after concrete installation or during the process itself. This can be accomplished by using saws, forms and other tools to create the joints. However, if too much time elapses between pouring and usage, the process of cracking will have already begun and contraction joint installation will serve no purpose.
WHAT OTHER JOINT TYPES EXIST
Though contraction joints are among the most common types of joints, keep in mind that concrete installers will often use other joint configurations. Some of these include:
- Decorative joints - These joints, as their name would indicate, provide visual cues that separate pieces of concrete for aesthetic reasons. Intricate shapes or patterns can be formed using decorative joints in concrete.
- Isolation joints - These joints cushion the concrete from whatever it may otherwise touch. In order to provide a clean separation from other adjacent structures, isolation joints are installed.
- Construction joints - These joints are installed whenever concrete is built in segments and permit the adjoining sections to successfully meet. Construction joints can use cushioning material as well as buried structural components
When considering the type of joints that you might need for your concrete project, be sure to consult with a qualified expert. The proper use of concrete joints be very beneficial, but the misuse of these devices can have negative consequences such as weak, broken concrete slabs, or aesthetic deformities.
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When completing any construction project that involves a foundation, the use of concrete pilings is essential. These columns that have been pre-cast and cured before installation provide needed support and reinforcement to the foundations used by your home or business. They have many qualities that make them beneficial to a variety of projects:
- Cost effective: When anything is manufactured on a massive scale, your costs decrease substantially from having something custom poured.
- Superior quality: Being pre-cast, pilings are checked for every sort of defect before being installed, giving them an additional safety advantage.
- Underwater usage: There are several instances in which the pouring of concrete in certain types of subsoil or other environments won’t set. The use of formed piles easily takes care of that issue.
- Convenience: With a wide selection of piles all ready to go, you are able to select what you need and install them at your convenience.
- Adaptability: Trying to pour the exact shape you need is a thing of the past with concrete pilings available in square, round, octagonal and other shapes.
- Incredible strength: Because of the nature of the piles, the reinforcement used inside is more likely to stay put without getting disturbed or moving its place. They also have high bending and lateral resistance to hold their strength in adverse conditions.
- Eco friendly: With no leftover materials to clean up at the installation site, piles are the most environmentally friendly option when supporting your foundation and in other applications, such as retaining walls, embankments and cofferdams.
Southport Concrete Corp is a leading builder of seawalls
in the Southport area. A seawall is a barrier that prevents waves from inundating property and land. These concrete walls are ideal for areas that are susceptible to hurricanes and frequent flooding. During storms, the sea level, as well as lake and river levels, can rise dangerously high and threaten communities and natural areas. The wall stops the water in its tracks and keeps communities from sustaining millions of dollars' worth of damages. Despite their name, our walls can be built near any large body of water, and our company can construct the following types:
- Curved
- Vertical
- Mound
You have a lot of options when it comes to building materials in Southport, but there are some that are more high-quality than others. At Southport Concrete Corp., we offer ready-mix concrete. As a product that is made in a factory, it offers the highest quality possible, as it is regulated under specific conditions. Being carefully monitored while it is mixed, it allows maximum economy at every turn. It is a convenience for contractors because it can be delivered to most jobsites. If a truck can get there, the ready mix can get there. It can also be poured directly from the truck into handling equipment or formwork, minimizing loss and mistakes.
Although the terms cement and concrete are often used interchangeably, cement is actually an ingredient in concrete.
Concrete is basically a mixture of paste and aggregates. The aggregates are crushed stone or sand and gravel; the paste is made of water and Portland cement. Concrete material happens to get stronger as it gets older. Portland cement is not the name of a particular brand of cement; it’s the generic term for the type of cement utilized in almost all concrete (ex: stainless is a type of steel and sterling is a type of silver).
Pervious concrete, also known as "green concrete," is a choice that helps combat building code issues with storm water run-off.
Cement is composed of 10 to 15 percent of the concrete mix, by volume. Then through a process called hydration, the cement and water harden and bring together the aggregates into a rocklike form. This developing and hardening process continues for years, again meaning that concrete gets stronger as it gets older.
There are many residences that need to use a septic tank. If you find yourself in such an area, consider what Southport Concrete Corp. can do for you. We can cast septic systems
for you, and we have been operating in Southport for almost 20 years. We can inspect your location to design a septic system that is perfect for your expected needs, bringing you long-term plumbing solutions.
Concrete driveways are durable and attractive, and they provide a solid, reliable parking surface for vehicles. However, maximizing the lifespan and appearance of your concrete driveway depends upon making the right choices both before the concrete is poured and for many years after that, too.
Below, we’ve listed some important things to keep in mind in order to prevent premature concrete driveway failure.
If you're hoping to replace your tired old countertops with something more modern and durable, you've likely considered popular options like quartz, granite, marble, or solid surface. However, many homeowners do not realize that concrete makes an excellent countertop and has plenty of advantages.
Just like any other countertop surface, there are specific advantages that concrete offers. How do you know if concrete is the right choice for your new or remodeled kitchen?
Concrete is one of the most versatile construction materials currently available. You'll find concrete used for everything from seawalls to countertops.
But not all concrete is exactly the same. When you choose concrete for a building project, you may have several options for the mixture contents and the laying process.
In this blog, we compare two common laying processes: precast concrete and onsite ready-mix pouring.
Though concrete is incredibly strong and resilient, untreated concrete can be stained in some circumstances. This is primarily due to the internal crystalline structure of concrete at the microscopic level.
Concrete consists of tiny cement particles locked together with sand and other crushed materials. In between these particles lie tiny air gaps that can be filled with just about any liquid that comes their way. That includes water, paint, oil, and other fluids dropped on the surface of unsealed concrete.
As a consequence, you can’t merely wipe concrete stains away. Instead, you have to treat the stains with the right methods, chemicals, and tools.
Below is a brief guide to removing two common but tough stains that affect concrete.