3.1.

2 Rigid Pavement Jointing Details for Intersections The following basic principles must be observed in developing a correct jointing detail: 1. Never taper concrete down to less than 2 ft in width. 2. Depending upon the amount of transverse reinforcing steel, be careful of the number of lanes that are tied together. In JPCP, tying more than three 12-ft lanes toge ther may result in uncontrolled longitudinal cracking. 3. Always design the secondary (intersecting) route as independent in movement from the primary route. Thus, as the primary route expands and contracts, no unnecessary forces will be created in the secondary route. 4. Provide for expansion wherever payment is interrupted in its longitudinal dir ection. 5. Terminate joints at 90 to any intersecting joints, obstructions, or edges of p avement. 6. Where possible, lay out lane widths of the same dimension. This permits the c ontractor to pave all the lanes without changing the paving machine setup dimensio ns. 7. Unless unavoidable, all joints should be in a straight line. Curved joints ar e difficult to saw and generally require additional forming. 8. For plain (nonreinforced) concrete pavement, the slab length/slab width ratio should not exceed 2:1. Intersection details should always be included in construction plans. A proper jointing layout ensures that cracking occurs at locations where load transfer ex ists (contraction joints) and away from wheel paths (longitudinal joints). The jointi ng 3.1.3 Rigid Pavement Joint Sealing Joint sealing prohibits the infiltration of water into the pavement base and pre vents incompressibles from lodging within the joint cavity. The advantages of keeping water out from under a pavement are documented extensively in the AASHTO Pavement Design Guide and in various articles in this chapter. With an unsealed joint, co ntraction under cooler temperatures allows joint cavities to open up and become filled wit h sand, stone, and other incompressible material. When warmer temperatures try to expand the length of the pavement, the joints are unable to close, compressive s tresses develop, and spalling may result. The purpose of a sealant reservoir (Figs. 3.1, 3.2, and 3.6) is to prevent water and incompressibles from entering the joint cavity. The design criteria for the seal ant reservoir ensure that the sealant stays in place. The ability of the sealant to expand and contract with the movement of the joint is a function of the material properties of the sealant (defined by the manufacturer s specifications) and the expected movement o f the joint. Joint movement can be calculated using the following relationship: L CL(A T Z) (3.4)