Volume Change Joints
Volume Change Joints - Related Videos
01:17
Work Done During Volume Change
0 Views •
2023
In mechanics, work is done on an object when the force acting on it displaces the object. In thermodynamics, work done on a system can be estimated when the system's volume changes during any thermodynamic process. Consider a gas confined to a cylinder fitted with a movable piston at one end. If the gas expands from volume V1 to volume V2, it exerts a force on the piston, such that the piston moves by a distance dr. The work done by the gas on the piston can be expressed as If p is the...
01:26
Unsoundness of Aggregate due to Volume Change
0 Views •
2024
Unsoundness in aggregates due to volume changes is primarily caused by the physical alterations aggregates undergo, such as freezing and thawing, thermal changes, and wetting and drying. Unsound aggregates, when subjected to these changes, result in volume change upon disintegration. This, in turn, contributes to the deterioration of concrete, including scaling, pop-outs, and cracking. Particular types of aggregates, such as porous flints, cherts, and those containing clay minerals, are...
02:32
Le Chatelier's Principle: Changing Volume (Pressure)
0 Views •
2020
For gas-phase equilibria, changes in the concentrations of reactants and products can occur with altered volume and pressure. The partial pressure, P, of an ideal gas is proportional to its molar concentration, M. So changes in the partial pressures of any reactant or product are essentially changes in concentrations; therefore, these changes yield the same effects on equilibria. Aside from adding or removing reactants or products, the pressures (concentrations) of species in a gas-phase...
01:03
Structural Joints: Fibrous Joints
0 Views •
2025
Fibrous joints are a type of joint where the bones are connected by fibrous connective tissue. These joints provide stability and minimal to no movement between the articulating bones. There are three types of fibrous joints. Suture All the bones of the skull, except for the mandible, are joined to each other by a fibrous joint called a suture. The fibrous connective tissue found at a suture strongly unites the adjacent skull bones and thus helps to protect the brain and form the face. In...
01:17
Structural Joints: Cartilaginous Joints
0 Views •
2025
As the name indicates, at a cartilaginous joint, the adjacent bones are united by cartilage, a tough but flexible type of connective tissue. Unlike synovial joints, these types of joints lack a joint cavity and involve bones joined together by either hyaline cartilage or fibrocartilage. There are two types of cartilaginous joints: Synchondrosis A synchondrosis ("joined by cartilage") is a cartilaginous joint where bones are connected by hyaline cartilage. Synchondrosis may be temporary or...
FAQs
Temperature fluctuations can drive expansion and contraction, while moisture variation and material shrinkage can change dimensions in other ways. These movements create stress when structural or surface elements remain continuous and cannot adjust. Designing a controlled separation or weakened plane gives those dimensional changes a designated location, reducing the likelihood that movement will appear as unwanted cracking elsewhere.
A continuous slab, pavement, bridge element, building component, or masonry surface can accumulate stress when its dimensions change but movement is restrained. A joint interrupts that continuity and concentrates movement at a planned location. The surrounding components can then remain aligned and supported as designed, rather than transferring all movement-related stress into uncontrolled cracks or deformation.
These features provide different physical ways to accommodate dimensional change. A joint gap creates space for adjacent parts to move relative to one another, a compressible filler allows movement while occupying the separation, and a formed groove creates a weakened plane that guides where cracking or movement is controlled. The shared purpose is to replace random damage with planned movement.
Selection depends on how the engineered element must accommodate movement while preserving alignment and support. Engineers may use a gap, compressible filler, or formed groove, depending on whether the design needs an open separation, a material that can compress, or a deliberately weakened plane. The choice should also reflect the component’s role in a slab, pavement, bridge, building, or masonry system.
Common applications include concrete slabs, pavements, bridges, buildings, and masonry. These settings contain structural or surface elements that may experience temperature-related expansion and contraction, moisture-related dimensional change, or material shrinkage. Incorporating planned movement locations helps each application maintain serviceability while reducing the risk that uncontrolled cracking will impair the intended performance of the system.
By directing expansion, contraction, and shrinkage into planned locations, the joints reduce unwanted cracking and associated stress in adjacent elements. This supports the continued alignment and designed support of the components, which contributes to durability and serviceability. More controlled movement can also improve maintenance performance by making dimensional effects part of the design rather than an unexpected source of deterioration.