TheBridgeEng

Expansion joint — movement & type

Expansion joint movement

Thermal movement at a deck joint and a first joint-type pick. Set the bridge (expansion) length, material, design temperature range and skew — the tool sizes the movement and suggests a joint family against common DOT / manufacturer ranges. A planning aid for type selection, not a final joint design.

Required capacity vs joint-type ranges (mm, log scale)
Recommended joint type
Bridge length100m
10105200
Use the expansion length — distance from the fixed point to this joint (≈ bridge length if fixed at the far end).
Skew angle0°
03060
Superstructure material
Design temperature range
StepQuantityValueNote
Field notes — what to watch for

For PSC bridges the creep-and-shrinkage share is not a refinement — on long continuous units it can rival the thermal term, and it acts in one direction only, so the joint sits off-centre. Undersized joints fail loudly; oversized joints leak. Also check the bearing sliding range against the same movement: the joint and the bearings must agree.

Inputs are saved on this device · reset to defaults

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