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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Roads and Bridges

Expansion joint

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

nounCommon term

In civil engineering & construction, expansion joint means: A planned gap between two parts of a structure or road that lets them expand and contract with temperature and other movements without cracking.

In Turkish: genleşme derzi, dilatasyon derzi, dilatasyon

How it is used

Used in bridges, long buildings, slabs and pavements. Expansion joints are designed for a movement range, sealed or covered, and checked during maintenance. In buildings a joint may also be sized to work as a seismic joint.

Example sentences

  1. The expansion joint on the bridge is noisy and needs replacing.

  2. The shopping centre is 180 metres long, so it has two expansion joints.

Common collocations

  • bridge expansion joint
  • movement joint
  • seismic joint
  • joint sealant
  • expansion gap
  • bridge deckThe part of a bridge that forms the road or path surface and carries the traffic, supported by beams, girders, cables or arches.
  • bearingA device placed between a bridge deck and its supports that transfers loads while allowing controlled movement and rotation, for example from temperature changes.
  • slabA flat, horizontal concrete element that forms a floor or a roof. It carries the loads on its surface and passes them to beams, walls or columns.
  • seismicRelating to earthquakes and the ground shaking they cause. In engineering it describes the loads, design rules and details that help structures resist earthquakes.
  • pavementThe layered structure of a road, runway or parking area that carries the traffic, usually asphalt or concrete laid over granular base layers.

More terms: Roads and Bridges

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