huangyhg

expansion joint in underground structure
i have an underground parking garage thats about 182'x254'. the ramps that go from level to level are exposed to weather, and therefore so is the garage.
when i put in expansion joints, won't the soil pressure on the sides of the garage just squeeze the joints shut, thereby rendering them pretty much useless?
if i do not put in expansion joints, i think the structure will undergo unruly thermal stresses, and lead to cracking and spalling, therefore shortening the life of the structure. any thoughts?
if the structure is below ground, it does not need thermal expansion joints. it does need construction joints however to control cracking. dont forget the water stops for ground water control.
in undeground parking (just 1 or 2 level deep) normally not so open to weather our experience in temperate (-18ºc to 45 ºc or so air temperature range) spain indicates that with reasonably reinforced walls no having joints has worked well both in structural mats and walls, and is i would say our preferred trend under 60 m max dimension. over that we have preferably used some joints in both walls and mats. you then can have more thermal joints upwards for the buildings. and of course use waterstops or other dampproofing equivalent design for the joints in the project.

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