Expansion joint between sections. Expansion joints of buildings. Temperature expansion joint
A brick house is a reliable and durable home. However, its walls are prone to deformation due to temperature fluctuations. Temperature joint in brickwork helps to significantly reduce or prevent possible cracking of walls and maintain their integrity. Such seams reduce the load on structural elements and make the masonry more resistant to fluctuations in air temperature.
What it is?
Expansion joint in brickwork, this is a special gap around the perimeter of the structure, which divides the wall into separate compartments, which gives the building elasticity. It is made in order to prevent cracks in the building structure when building materials expand and contract under the influence of temperature changes, as well as for additional protection of walls from deformation during shrinkage of the house. The size of the gap depends on the type of masonry and temperature environment V different time year taking into account climatic conditions region. In multi-storey buildings, the expansion joint is:
- Vertical. It runs along the height of the entire house, with the exception of the foundation, and is 20-40 mm wide.
- Horizontal. It is done at the level of all ceilings with a width of 30 mm.
Contact expansion joint in brickwork with the foundation of a building is unacceptable.
Types of expansion joints in a brick multi-storey building
In the group of such sutures there is a sedimentary type.
In addition to temperature ones, there are other types of expansion joints in masonry, such as:
- shrinkage;
- sedimentary;
- seismic
All types of special gaps protect each structural unit home and prevent the formation of cracks in load-bearing and other walls. Temperature and shrinkage voids are created in everyone without exception. brick houses. Sedimentary perform protective function from destruction during high loads and are needed in multi-storey buildings and houses with an extension. They are made starting from the foundation, but the device is made on the principle of vertical temperature gaps, so it is possible to combine them into heat-shrinkable ones and create them in one firmware. It is advisable to create seismic voids only in areas with increased seismic activity.
Insulation and insulation options
In order to protect against environmental influences and prevent drafts inside the building, all deformation gaps without exception are insulated. To do this, create a protective sealed layer using elastic materials. The choice of insulation depends on the size of the expansion joint. In this case, one type of material or a combination of them is used. The table shows the type of insulation depending on the width of the temperature gap in the brickwork:
To seal insulated seams use:
Since in Lately prices for various Construction Materials are growing rapidly, we need to think about how to create efficient and high-quality buildings so that mistakes do not have to be corrected after construction. In order to exclude possible mistakes and risks, during the construction of any buildings it is necessary to organize expansion joints in concrete. These designs minimize various deformations.
There is no exception here and various concrete structures. These can be floors, blind areas and many other structures. If the wrong choice of technology for creating the floor is made, then as a result it will become covered with cracks, and the finishing coating will be deformed.
The condition of the foundation strip depends on the blind area. If it cracks, it can cause moisture to penetrate into the base and ultimately lead to very serious consequences.
How do they look?
By appearance they are cuts in the concrete. Thanks to these cuts, cracking of the base will not occur during sudden and smooth temperature changes. This can be explained by the fact that the base can expand; there is enough space for this.
So, there are a large number of similar protective building structures. The SNIP classification contains not only temperature joints, but also many other types of seams.
Variety of concrete joints
So, among the seams there are:
- Shrink;
- Sedimentation and temperature;
- Antiseismic.
Shrinkage joints are temporary lines. They are created mainly in monolithic structures directly when pouring concrete mixtures. As the mixture begins to dry, it will shrink. This may cause cracks. So, the solution will compress, and the pressure will act on the void line, which will expand. Then, when everything dries, the line will be destroyed.
As for the second group, these grooves are designed to preserve the building from precipitation and temperature changes. The sedimentary seam can be found on any elements of the building, as well as at the base. Temperature cuts can be found everywhere, on any elements, but not on the foundation. For example, in most buildings you can find expansion joints in the walls.
Anti-seismic protection is special lines that divide the building into blocks. Where these lines pass, double walls or special racks are created. This makes the building more stable.
Protects against sudden temperature changes and deformation
According to their own design features, a temperature-deformation seam is a special groove, line. He divides the entire building into blocks. The size of such blocks and the directions in which the cut line divides the building are determined by the project, as well as by special calculations.
In order to seal these grooves, as well as to minimize heat loss, these grooves are filled with heat insulators. Often used various materials rubber based. Thus, the elasticity of the building increases significantly, and thermal expansion will not have a destructive effect on other materials.
Often, this cut is made from the roof to the base. The very foundation of the building is not divided, since the foundation is lower than the depth at which the soil freezes. The base will not be affected by low temperatures. The expansion joint spacing depends on the materials used, as well as on the point on the map where the object is located.
Most buildings and structures can use numbers from tables. The distance between expansion joints will be 150 m for those buildings that are built from prefabricated structures and heated, or 90 m for monolithic heated structures.
Where is there no heating?
In this case, these figures are reduced by 20%. To prevent stress, in case of uneven settlement, settlement joints can be arranged. This protection can also serve as temperature protection. The sedimentary section must be created to the base. Temperature - to the top of the foundation. The width of the expansion joint should be 3 cm.
Protection in houses where people live
The expansion joint in a residential building has ancient history. These technologies began to be used during the construction of the first Egyptian Pyramid. Then it began to be used for any stone structures. With the help of this trick, people have learned to protect their homes from temperature fluctuations and other natural disasters.
The operation of residential buildings often leads to various types destruction of the base and foundation. Among the many possible reasons You can identify the movement of the ground under the house. This is a signal of waterproofing failure. Subsequently, the house will collapse sooner or later.
How it's done
Every home has a hammer drill. So, using a drill you need to make a horizontal cut in the wall. Then it is necessary to seal the seam using roofing felt, tow, and at the end a special lock should be made from water, sand, clay and straw. This composition must be used to seal the expansion joint well.
What if the house is made of brick?
Here, such protection measures should be provided at the design stage. In order to arrange the cut, a tongue and groove is used in the brickwork, which will be lined with two layers of roofing felt. Then everything is covered with a layer of tow and again everything needs to be covered with a lock based on water and clay.
- The tongue and groove is created during the construction of the building. However, if it does not exist and is not provided, and to do so protective agent is really necessary, then everything can be done using a hammer drill, but you need to work very carefully. What is a tongue and groove? This is a technological notch. The dimensions of such a recess are 2 bricks high and 0.5 deep.
- At this stage, it is necessary to cover the future expansion joint in the brickwork with the same roofing felt and hammer it with the same tow. Thanks to your unique properties these materials do not react in any way to temperature changes, and the masonry, in turn, will not react to them either.
- Now it's time to close this groove. Most people use concrete or cement mortar. However, clay-based putty is much better suited for these purposes. The effectiveness is due to the fact that clay is an excellent heat insulator and waterproofing agent. Clay also has a decorative function.
Protecting the blind area
So, to make expansion joints in the blind area, you need to:
- Dig a trench along the petimeter of the building. Its depth should be 15 cm. The width of the trench should be greater than the roof canopy;
- Fill the bottom of the trench with a cushion of crushed stone, and lay roofing material on top along the entire perimeter;
- Install the frame based on the reinforcement.
Before moving on concrete works on the blind area, we will make a protective seam. It should be done on the line where the walls and the blind area connect. To organize a groove, it is enough to install boards of small thickness between the blind area and the wall. These grooves are also necessary across. This is done using the same method. You need to maintain a distance of 1.5 m.
After pouring concrete mixture will get where it needs to go, but there will be grooves where the boards are installed. After the solution has sufficiently hardened, the wood can be pulled out. The cracks can be sealed with sealant or other means. The most important thing is that the cuts are not empty, otherwise there will be zero protection.
What about the concrete floor?
Expansion joints in floors can be made even after the mixture has sufficiently hardened. Of course, it’s better to take care of them even before the pouring process.
To perform such protection in the floor, you need:
- Determine the lines for cutting concrete. The distance can be easily and simply calculated. So, 25 needs to be multiplied by the size of the floor thickness;
- Cut grooves using a power tool. The depth will be 1/3 of the thickness. Optimal sizes width - a couple of centimeters;
- Remove all dust from the grooves and prime;
- When dry, the slots should be filled with any material intended for these purposes.
These actions will not cause any difficulties for anyone. What happened? If the floor is deformed, then these processes will follow the seam lines. Here the screed may crack a little, but the finish flooring will remain perfectly intact.
It turns out that such measures and simple technological operations, both on the street and in the house or any other building, make it possible to protect the building. If once using inexpensive materials and a hammer drill to create an expansion joint in the slab, floor, and anywhere, you can significantly save money in the future and extend the service life of the building.
During construction and design of structures for various purposes an expansion joint is used, which is necessary to strengthen the entire structure. The purpose of the seam is to protect the structure from seismic, sedimentary and mechanical influences. This procedure serves as an additional strengthening of the house, protects against destruction, shrinkage and possible shifts and curvatures in the soil.
Definition of an expansion joint and its types
Expansion joint- a cut in a building that reduces the load on parts of the structure, thereby increasing the stability of the building and its level of resistance to loads.
It makes sense to use this stage of construction when designing large premises, placing buildings in places weak ground, active seismic phenomena. The seam is also made in areas with high rainfall.
Based on their purpose, expansion joints are divided into:
- temperature;
- shrinkage;
- sedimentary;
- seismic
In some buildings, due to the peculiarities of their location, combinations of methods are used to protect against several causes of deformation at once. This can be caused when the area where construction is being built has soil prone to subsidence. It is also recommended to make several types of seams when constructing long, tall houses, with many various designs and elements. 
Expansion joints
These construction methods serve as protection against temperature changes and fluctuations. Even in cities located in areas with temperate climate when moving from high summer temperature to low winter temperatures, cracks often appear on houses various sizes and depth. Subsequently, they lead to deformation of not only the frame of the structure, but also the base. To avoid these problems, the building is divided by seams, at a distance which is determined based on the material from which the structure is constructed. Also taken into account is the maximum low temperature, characteristic of this area.
Such seams are used only on the wall surface, since the foundation, due to its location in the ground, is less susceptible to temperature changes.
Shrink seams
They are used less frequently than others, mainly when creating a monolithic concrete frame. The fact is that when concrete hardens, it often becomes covered with cracks, which subsequently grow and create cavities. If there are a large number of cracks in the foundation, the building structure may not withstand and collapse.
The seam is applied only until the foundation has completely hardened. The point of its use is that it grows until all the concrete becomes solid. Thus, concrete foundation shrinks completely without cracking.
After the concrete has completely dried, the cut must be completely caulked.
To ensure that the seam is completely sealed and does not allow moisture to pass through, special sealants and waterstops are used. 
Settlement expansion joints
Such structures are used in the construction and design of structures of different heights. So, for example, when building a house in which there will be two floors on one side and three on the other. In this case, the part of the building with three floors exerts much more pressure on the soil than the part with only two. Due to uneven pressure, the soil can sag, thereby causing strong pressure on the foundation and walls.
From a change in pressure, various surfaces structures become covered with a network of cracks and subsequently undergo destruction. In order to prevent deformation of structural elements, builders use sedimentary expansion joints.
The fortification separates not only the walls, but also the foundation, thereby protecting the house from destruction. It has a vertical shape and is located from the roof to the base of the structure. Creates fixation of all parts of the structure, protects the house from destruction and deformation of varying degrees of severity.
Upon completion of the work, it is necessary to seal the recess itself and its edges to completely protect the structure from moisture and dust. For this, conventional sealants are used, which can be found in construction stores. Work with materials is carried out according to general rules and recommendations. An important condition arrangement of the seam is to completely fill it with material so that there are no voids left inside.
On the surface of the walls they are made of tongue and groove, with a thickness of about half a brick; in the lower part the seam is made without a sheet pile.
To prevent moisture from getting inside the building, the outer part of the basement is equipped with clay castle. Thus, the seam not only protects against the destruction of the structure, but also turns out to be additional sealant. The house is protected from groundwater.
This type of seams must be installed in places where different parts of the building come into contact, in the following cases:
- if parts of the structure are placed on soil of varying flowability;
- in the case when others are added to an existing building, even if they are made of identical materials;
- with a significant difference in the height of individual parts of the building, which exceeds 10 meters;
- in any other cases when there is reason to expect uneven subsidence of the foundation.
Seismic seams
Such structures are also called anti-seismic. It is necessary to create this kind of fortifications in areas with a high seismic nature - the presence of earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic eruptions. To prevent the building from being damaged by bad weather, it is customary to build such fortifications. The design is designed to protect the house from destruction during earth tremors.
Seismic seams are designed according to our own design. The meaning of the design is to create separate, non-communicating vessels inside the building, which will be separated along the perimeter by expansion joints. Often inside a building, expansion joints are located in the shape of a cube with equal sides. The edges of the cube are sealed using double brickwork. The design is designed to ensure that at the time of seismic activity, the seams will hold the structure and prevent the walls from collapsing.
The use of various types of seams in construction
When temperatures fluctuate, structures made of reinforced concrete are subject to deformation - they can change their shape, size and density. As concrete shrinks, the structure shortens and sags over time. Since subsidence occurs unevenly, when the height of one part of the structure decreases, others begin to shift, thereby destroying each other or forming cracks and depressions.
Nowadays every reinforced concrete structure is an integral indivisible system that is highly susceptible to changes in the environment. For example, during soil settlement, sudden temperature fluctuations, and sedimentary deformations, mutual additional pressure arises between parts of the structure. Constant changes in pressure lead to the formation of various defects on the surface of the structure - chips, cracks, dents. To avoid the formation of building defects, builders use several types of cuts, which are designed to strengthen the building and protect it from various destructive factors.
In order to reduce the pressure between elements in multi-story or extended buildings, it is necessary to use sedimentary and temperature-shrinkable types of seams.
In order to determine the required distance between seams on the surface of the structure, the level of flexibility of the material of the columns and connections is taken into account. The only case where there is no need to install expansion joints is the presence of rolling supports.
Also, the distance between seams often depends on the difference between the highest and lowest ambient temperatures. The lower the temperature, the farther apart the recesses should be located. Temperature-shrinkage joints penetrate the structure from the roof to the base of the foundation. While sedimentary isolates different parts of the building.
A shrinkage joint is sometimes formed by installing several pairs of columns.
A temperature-shrinkage joint is usually formed by installing paired columns on a common foundation. Settlement joints are also designed by installing several pairs of supports that are located opposite each other. In this case, each of the supporting columns must be equipped with its own foundation and fasteners.
The design of each seam is designed to be clearly structured, reliably fix the structural elements, and be reliably sealed from Wastewater. The seam must be resistant to temperature changes, the presence of precipitation, and resist deformation from wear, shock, and mechanical stress.
Seams must be made in case of uneven soil or uneven wall heights.
Expansion joints are insulated using mineral wool or polyethylene foam. This is caused by the need to protect the room from cold temperatures, the penetration of dirt from the street, and provides additional sound insulation. Other types of insulation are also used. From the inside of the room, each seam is sealed with elastic materials, and from the outside - with sealants capable of protecting against precipitation or strippings. Facing material do not cover the expansion joint. At interior decoration indoors, covering the seam with decorative elements at the discretion of the builder.
Expansion joint- this is a seam with a width of at least 20 mm, dividing the building into separate compartments. Thanks to this dissection, each compartment of the building receives the possibility of independent deformations.
The purpose of the expansion joint is to reduce the overload on individual parts of the systems in places of expected destruction, which can occur due to fluctuations in the weightless temperature, as well as seismic phenomena, sudden and uneven sedimentation of the soil and other actions that can cause personal overloads that reduce the load-bearing characteristics of the systems . In visual terms, there is probably a section in the body of the building; it divides the building into a number of blocks, giving these some elasticity to the building. To supply waterproofing, the section is filled with the material that was used. There is probably every chance that there are different sealants, waterstops or putties.
Expansion joints are divided into three main types
Depending on the purpose, expansion joints are divided into three main types: – temperature-shrinkage joints are installed to avoid the formation of cracks and distortions in the external walls of buildings due to differences in air temperatures outside and inside the building. Seams of this type cut the structures only of the ground part of the building - walls, floors, coverings and ensure the independence of their horizontal movements relative to each other. In this case, foundations and other underground parts of the building are not dissected, since temperature differences for them are smaller and deformations do not reach dangerous values.
Privilege expansion joint device the most experienced builders, therefore this serious craft should be entrusted only to competent specialists. The construction team is required to have high-quality equipment and knowledgeable installation of expansion joints, which depends on the survivability of operation the whole system. It is necessary to predict the future of work without fail, including assembly, welding, carpentry, reinforcement, trigonometry, and concrete laying. The development of an expansion joint assembly must comply with generally accepted and deliberately researched recommendations.
Expansion joint - Wikipedia: Expansion joint - designed to reduce loads on structural elements in places of possible deformations that occur when air temperature fluctuates, seismic phenomena, uneven soil settlement and other influences that can cause dangerous self-loads that reduce bearing capacity designs. It is a kind of cut in the structure of a building, dividing the structure into separate blocks and, thereby, giving the structure a certain degree of elasticity. For sealing purposes, it is filled with elastic insulating material.
Distances between temperature-shrinkable seams
The distances between temperature-shrinkage joints are assigned depending on the climatic conditions of the construction site and the material of the external walls of the building. For example, in residential buildings this distance is 40? 100 m at brick walls and 75? 150 m with walls made of concrete panels (the lower the outside air temperature at the building construction site, the smaller the distance between expansion joints). The building compartment located between two temperature-shrinkable seams or between the end of the building and the seam is called a temperature compartment or temperature block;Rational cutting
In what particular episode do the main destructions of concrete buildings occur? What are expansion joints needed in this case? Changes in the body of the building have a good chance of happening at the time of construction due to high temperature stress - a consequence of the exotherm of hardening concrete and fluctuations in temperature. This is due to the reduction of concrete in this episode. At the moment of reinforced concrete, expansion joints are ready to reduce unnecessary overloads and prevent subsequent changes that can become inevitable for buildings. The structures, as if by desire, are cut according to their length into single collapsible installations. Expansion joints work to ensure high-quality functioning of each section, and also eliminate the possibility of stress occurring between adjacent blocks.
The more popular types are temperature and sedimentary expansion joints. They are used in most constructions of various buildings. Temperature expansion joints will compensate for changes in the building body that appear due to changes in temperature around the circle. The manure fraction of the structure is subjected to this to a great extent, so cuts are made from the soil to the roof, thus not affecting the solid fraction in any way. This type of seam cuts the structure into installations, providing such a role, providing the possibility of rectilinear movements in the absence of negative (uncontrollable) results.
Does one or the other visit expansion joints between houses? Experts systematize them according to a line of indicators. Probably it is possible to exist the type of system being serviced, the space of location (of the device), for example, expansion joints in the walls of the structure, in the floors, in the roof. In addition to this, it is necessary to take into account the sociability and security of their location (inside the building and outside, in an open atmosphere). A lot has already been said about the generally accepted systematization (more fundamental, covering all the more distinctive symptoms of expansion joints). Sympathy begins in the base of the distortions with which it is called to fight. From this point of view, the deformation stitch between houses can be thermal, silt, heat-shrinkable, earthen, insulating. In connection with current events and criteria between houses, different future expansion joints are used. But you must know that they must always meet the characteristics given at the beginning.
Sedimentary seams
– settlement joints are provided in cases where unequal and uneven settlement of adjacent parts of the building is expected. Such settlement can occur with differences in heights of individual parts of the building of more than 10 m, with different loads on the foundation, as well as with heterogeneous soils under the foundations. 
Rice. 3.67. Schemes for installing expansion joints in buildings: a – temperature-shrinkage; b – sedimentary: 1 – above-ground part of the building; 2 – underground part (foundation); 3 – expansion joint Sedimentary joints dissect vertically all the structures of the building, including its underground part. This allows for independent settlement of individual volumes of the building. Settlement seams provide not only vertical, but also horizontal movements of dismembered parts, so they can be combined with temperature-shrinkage seams. This type of expansion joints is called temperature-sedimentary; – anti-seismic joints are provided in buildings located in earthquake-prone areas. Anti-seismic seam in the same way as sedimentary seam, divides the building along its entire height (above-ground and underground parts) into separate compartments, which are independent stable volumes, which ensures their independent settlement.
| seam 1 | seam 2 | seam 3 |
| 44% concrete | 27% concrete | 56% concrete |
| structure 18 | structure 134 | structure 1903 |
All kinds of systems and buildings are subject to destruction due to various factors: settlement of the structure after construction during operation, temperature and seismic effects, heterogeneity of soils at the base of the systems. Of course, during design and construction, it is necessary to take into account all these reasons and make the item very harmless to people, and also reduce the likelihood of defects and the risk of frequent repairs. Since in modern world More and more often, huge and powerful buildings are being built, both residential and commercial, industrial; it is impossible to build without the introduction of expansion joints in all the important details of the buildings.
Many years of experience working with housing and communal services enterprises have shown the need for periodic explanations various technologies maintenance of buildings and systems of functioning of various structural elements buildings.
Types of expansion joints
Expansion joints are divided according to their purpose into temperature, shrinkage, settlement, expansion and seismic and represent a through section of the building into separate blocks to reduce the load on structural elements in places of various deformations.
In our climate zone, the first two types are most often found. Expansion joints can be seen on houses longer than four entrances, and sometimes more often, and they serve to increase the elasticity of the building in the off-season, when the ambient temperature, and therefore the building, changes.
Shrinkage joints are used primarily in houses consisting of sections of different number of storeys, which means they have different shrinkage after construction.
In other words, expansion and shrinkage joints are needed to prevent the building from cracking due to temperature fluctuations and during shrinkage of the building.
Of course, the expansion joint must be protected from snow, moisture, dirt, and the formation of drafts inside it. To do this, the seam is insulated and sealed. The choice of material for insulation depends primarily on the width of the seam, and the method of sealing the seam depends on the planned service life and available Money for its repair.
The most obvious seems to be to fill the joint with Viloterm and plaster it, as is done in many new buildings. This method as simple as it is, it is also short-lived, since the plaster in the expansion joint is not able to withstand the load placed on it and inevitably first cracks and then crumbles.
Viloterm has shown its fragility in the absence of combining it with polyurethane foam.
Seam insulation options
Let's sort it out possible options insulation and sealing depending on the width of the seam.
If the width is small, it would be optimal to use classic polyurethane foam, protected from sun rays condition, it is second only to expanded polystyrene in durability.
With a seam width of 30 to 50 mm, a combination of polyurethane foam and viloterma is optimal. Viloterm will save foam and add plasticity to the joint, and the foam will create a margin of safety and will not allow the Viloterm to take a constant shape when parts of the building are displaced, and therefore will not allow cracks to appear in the expansion joint.
The natural question is: why can’t the seam be completely filled with polyurethane foam?
Firstly, with a designed seam width of more than 30 mm, a significant displacement of building elements relative to each other is taken into account, which means there is a need to ensure proper plasticity of the insulation.
Secondly, foam is much more expensive than expanded polystyrene and viloterma, and, as a result, when completely filling the seam with only polyurethane foam, the cost linear meter will increase significantly.
Seam sealing options
The temperature-shrinkable seam is sealed either two-component sealant, or is sewn up with a galvanized deformation expansion joint.
The sealant can be used on seams of small to medium thickness. It is important to use a two-component polyurethane sealant, since it is more plastic in contrast to acrylic sealants and more durable. The disadvantage of this method is that it is relatively unaesthetic, since a two-component sealant cannot be applied in a perfectly even layer due to its properties. The advantage is the cost of creating a seam, since applying sealant is less labor-intensive than installing an expansion joint.
The use of sealant is most justified for shrinkage joints, especially for new buildings, where the displacement of building elements relative to each other has not yet passed its most active stage. The sealant will crack over time, but without damaging the building's façade, especially if the building is insulated with the currently widely used “wet façade.”
The most durable way to seal an expansion joint is to seal the joint with a galvanized expansion joint. It is extremely important to use not just galvanized sheet, but to use metallic profile with expansion joint reinforcement. Its service life is limited only by the aging of the metal. If you use simple galvanizing without deformation bending, then over time it will be torn out of the wall due to the lack of minimum tensile elasticity.
