Structural expansion joints in bearing wall structures
Structural expansion joints in bearing wall structures
(OP)
Looking into the maximum length of a building before having to add an expansion joint. It looks like concrete and steel structures are very well-defined in this regard by AISC 360, Tech Report 65, and ACI 2243r-95/01, but I do not see equally clear references for bearing wall structures. The BIA Tek note 18-A appears to apply to brick veneer rather than load bearing CMU.
What is the recommended spacing of structural expansion joints in buildings constructed with:
CMU bearing walls
Cold formed metal bearing walls
Any thoughts?
Thanks.
What is the recommended spacing of structural expansion joints in buildings constructed with:
CMU bearing walls
Cold formed metal bearing walls
Any thoughts?
Thanks.






RE: Structural expansion joints in bearing wall structures
For a CMU wall, go to the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) ay ncma.org. On the upper right side of the home page there is square with a reference to TEK or tech notes (can remember exact terms). To log on to the TEK notes check a state (any state) and a producer (any producer) to get to the index and cost from the 100+ TEK notes the are well organized.
Dick
Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.
RE: Structural expansion joints in bearing wall structures
I to am interested in expansion joint requirements in cold-formed steel structures.
Richard L. Flower, P. E., LEED Green Associate
Senior Structural Engineer
Complere Engineering Group, Inc.
RE: Structural expansion joints in bearing wall structures
I was originally thinking about building expansion joints with double structure on each side of the joint - if you permit expansion at closer spaced control joints along the length of the building, as with masonry, I can see how one larger joint at a much larger spacing does not make sense. The control joints are also required for crack control, so letting them double as expansion joints is very logical.
Are there any references for Cold Formed Bearing Walls which discuss expansion joints? It would be nice if someone had a chart relating structure rigidity to expansion joint locations without having to calculate thermal expansion of each member and for each structure. I'm looking for a good rule of thumb.
RE: Structural expansion joints in bearing wall structures
RE: Structural expansion joints in bearing wall structures
RE: Structural expansion joints in bearing wall structures