Concrete Building - Here Is How You Should Plan Your Joints
What factors should you consider when you are planning joints for your concrete structure? Of course, this is not something that should be decided by amateurs alone.
However, your knowledge in this field will help you overcome numerous problems.
For starters, you will not get unnecessarily confused when your builder or architect comes up with the idea of a joint, which is definitely going to look bad on the surface.
It certainly will not be the same smooth finish that you anticipated when you thought of having the smooth concrete slab.
The first and the most important point is the spacing of the joints.
How far should you space them? What parameters should you consider? It is obvious that the length and the depth of the concrete is very important.
The thumb rule is that you should have one joint for every hundred fit of concrete.
This is just a thumb rule.
Remember, it is something that is calculated to facilitate the decision making.
However, do not take it as the final word and implement the joints irrespective of other factors involved.
A lot depends on the various points where pressure and stress is placed on the concrete slab.
For example, if another slab is jutting into the present slab at a particular point, you may have to provide multiple joints.
If the joints provided for the intersection is sufficient, you can skip the thumb rule and opt for a larger distance between the joints.
Secondly, you will have to consider the depth of the joints that you have fitted.
The minimum depth should be followed irrespective of the actual depth of your concrete.
This is a quarter of an inch.
However, this is just the minimum.
The ideal scenario is to provide sufficient space for expansion of the concrete.
In such a scenario, if you just skim the top surface and if you ignore the lower portion, the crack will occur at the bottom half and will still end up with a weakened structure.
It is virtually impossible to modify or change this part after you have finalized the joint depth.
Once concrete is hardened, you cannot dig it up all over again without damaging the structure beyond repair.
Hence, it is advisable to check the internet and make use of all possible resources to get all the information you need in advance.
Delaying matters any further is only going to lead to loss of money.
However, your knowledge in this field will help you overcome numerous problems.
For starters, you will not get unnecessarily confused when your builder or architect comes up with the idea of a joint, which is definitely going to look bad on the surface.
It certainly will not be the same smooth finish that you anticipated when you thought of having the smooth concrete slab.
The first and the most important point is the spacing of the joints.
How far should you space them? What parameters should you consider? It is obvious that the length and the depth of the concrete is very important.
The thumb rule is that you should have one joint for every hundred fit of concrete.
This is just a thumb rule.
Remember, it is something that is calculated to facilitate the decision making.
However, do not take it as the final word and implement the joints irrespective of other factors involved.
A lot depends on the various points where pressure and stress is placed on the concrete slab.
For example, if another slab is jutting into the present slab at a particular point, you may have to provide multiple joints.
If the joints provided for the intersection is sufficient, you can skip the thumb rule and opt for a larger distance between the joints.
Secondly, you will have to consider the depth of the joints that you have fitted.
The minimum depth should be followed irrespective of the actual depth of your concrete.
This is a quarter of an inch.
However, this is just the minimum.
The ideal scenario is to provide sufficient space for expansion of the concrete.
In such a scenario, if you just skim the top surface and if you ignore the lower portion, the crack will occur at the bottom half and will still end up with a weakened structure.
It is virtually impossible to modify or change this part after you have finalized the joint depth.
Once concrete is hardened, you cannot dig it up all over again without damaging the structure beyond repair.
Hence, it is advisable to check the internet and make use of all possible resources to get all the information you need in advance.
Delaying matters any further is only going to lead to loss of money.