Expansion Joints - Closing the Gap  11/12/2020 

This Zoom meeting round table course was a discussion on building expansion joint systems, as a continuation of the article published in the construction specifier magazine September 2020 by Steve Cooper, vice president of business development at Balco USA, “Closing the Gap-What to Consider When Choosing an Expansion Joint System.” 

CSI Syracuse Chapter Presentation Supplemental Notes:

Prepared By Michael Kuilik

• Michael Kulik CSI, CDT, CCCA is an active member and he is currently serving as Vice-President of the Syracuse Chapter of CSI
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Structural engineers provide direction to the size of the gaps, expected movement, and placement of expansion joint systems.  Architects and specifiers coordinate the design documents and select the aesthetic details of the expansion covers.  General contractors who follow the design plans must coordinate with suppliers and manufacturers to perform the installation of the expansion joint systems correctly.  Lastly, it is important to include the supplier/manufacturer in the earliest planning stages of a project. 

Several building professionals that discussed their experiences with expansion joint design, covers and installation of expansion joint covers, with the main contributing panelists: 

James A D’Aloisio, P.E., SECB, LEED AP-Professional Engineer & President, Klepper Hahn & Hyatt

Jim can be reached at [email protected]

Scott Boyer-Product Specialists, Expansion Joint Cover Systems, Construction Specialties

Scott can be reached at [email protected]

As far as design, the first consideration is how large the gap opening will be and the associated movement required in the building.   The next major consideration is where the joint system will be installed, interior or exterior, fire proofing requirements as well as structural loads.

“Buildings used to be designed with building joints, with a major consideration for thermal movements.  Now with high-efficiency building envelopes, the major consideration is placement and sizing of seismic joints.” J. D’Aloisio, P.E.

Sizing and loading capacity can be overlooked in planning; or generic details are placed into the architectural specifications.  An important point is that the manufacturer’s technical product data must be understood before being placed in the specification. 

“There are standard expansion joint sizing rules of thumb for any joint up to 4” and the same for anything larger than 4.”  “Wind loads occur more random and occur in longer duration than seismic expansion; this must be taken into consideration during the building design.” S. Boyer

Manufacturers provide a standard one year material defect warranty and a five to seven year warranty if it is supplied and installed to certified installers.   For building owners and managers, periodic maintenance and cleaning of expansion joints serve as an opportunity for a visual inspection. 

Additional Information:  Restricted to Members Only

Second Article Source:  Restricted to Members Only

MasterFormat No:  

079500-Expansion Control

UniFormat No:

B1010.90-Floor Construction Supplementary Components

B1020.90-Roof Construction Supplementary Components

B2010.80-Exterior Wall Supplementary Components

C1010.90-Interior Partitions Supplementary Components