EVALUATION OF A BRIDGE DECK EXPANSION JOINT. FINAL REPORT

Two royston unidam lk-120 bridge deck expansion joints were installed as experimental features on the rte. 50 ebl bridge over the shenandoah river in Clark county, Virginia. The joints were evaluated with respect to their ease of installation and performance after five years of service. It was found that the joint is difficult to install to the prescribed opening distance between the hold-down angles. The performance of the elastomeric material has not been totally satisfactory. On one of the two joints the elastomer has failed over a 3-ft length in the right-hand lane, and considerable sagging of this material in both joints suggests that the failure may become more widespread with time. As a result, the riding quality over the joints has been impaired and traffic impact noise has increased. In general, the performance of the joint has been unimpressive and its use on other bridges is not recommended. (Author/TRRL)