Roadway expansion joints

Roadway expansion joints bridge gaps in the carriageway and pavement areas in a way that permits traffic to pass over them safely. Any movements that occur in the bridge must be absorbed without distortion.

Schreiber Brücken-Dehntechnik offers outstandingly high-quality products that perform exactly this task.

Products

Applications

Areas of application for roadway expansion joints

Modern bridge structures are subject to considerable expansion and contraction due to temperature fluctuations and high traffic volumes. Nowadays, however, aspects such as renovations and conversions also have to be taken into account because many older bridges are subject to very high loads due to today’s traffic volumes. Our roadway expansion joint constructions are designed for all types of road traffic and compensate for changes in length due to dynamic loads caused by traffic, temperature fluctuations, contraction and creepage. Schreiber Brücken-Dehntechnik offers various roadway expansion joint constructions for different expansion paths and load scenarios.

Roadway expansion joint construction without noise reduction

The SP expansion joint consists of two parallel steel profiles. These are connected by an elastomer profile which provides the bridge joint with a watertight seal. To connect the joint to the bridge, the anchor elements that are welded to the steel profiles are fixed into the concrete of the superstructure and the abutments. This guarantees a very robust connection and excellent fatigue strength. Various anchor systems are available, meaning that the SP series can be installed in all conventional bridge structures. In addition, they are particularly suitable as replacement systems in existing bridges because they only require a small installation space.

Roadway expansion joint construction without noise reduction

To meet the demand to keep noise emissions from roadway expansion joints as low as possible,single-cell joints are equipped with noise-reducing profiles. The VS-JSR expansion joint consists of two basic profiles onto which two sinusoidal steel plates are bolted. When a vehicle drives over the expansion joint, at least one wheel always touches one of the steel plates, with the result that the joint is driven over more quietly. These sinusoidal plates reduce the noise emitted when traffic passes over the VS-JSR series.

Modular joints roadway expansion joint construction

The modular expansion joints are used for expansion paths of more than 100 mm and also compensate for transverse movements across the bridge. Multiple elements divide the joint’s expansion path into individual gaps that vehicles can pass over and that are kept watertight by the expansion profiles that connect them to one another. Sinusoidal plates can optionally be used to greatly reduce noise emissions.

Finger joint construction

The VS-F series of finger joints caters for longitudinal movements of the bridge superstructure of between 50 and 350 mm. The robust design permits high traffic loads, ensures very high fatigue strength and guarantees a long service life. Finger constructions consist of two symmetrical finger-shaped plates which are bolted to different base constructions. Transverse movements can be absorbed by means of a special layout. This guarantees a robust connection and excellent fatigue strength. The watertightness of this series is ensured by a rubber membrane or a channel running through the structure itself. The finger shape of the plates keeps noise emissions very low.

Roller shutter joint (Plate system)

Roller shutter joints are designed for very long expansion paths. There is a seal between the plate sets of the roller shutter joints which protects against dirt and penetration by water. These extremely robust expansion joints consist of a set of steel plates which are able to move over a radially-shaped support. They permit very large longitudinal movements of up to 1200 mm or even more.

Elastomer roadway expansion joints

VS-Flex expansion joints consist of a rubber mat which is reinforced by integrated steel profiles. The deformation of the rubber part of the joint compensates for the movement of the bridge. The steel profiles ensure that the product remains strong and rigid. The anchor elements have been designed to withstand high traffic loads. The joint’s specially designed surface reduces noise emissions and ensures good anti-skid behaviour. Elastomer joints can be equipped with aluminium or stainless steel covers for use in pavements.