!

Safety on site
Many construction activities are 7 Concrete
on site
potentially dangerous so care is needed
at all times. Current legislation requires
all persons to consider the effects of
their actions, or lack of action, on the
health and safety of themselves and
others. Advice on safety legislation can
be obtained from any of the area offices
of the Health & Safety Executive.

Construction
joints
The downloadable booklets in the Concrete CONTENTS
on site series are a continuation of a series
originally issued in 1951 and have become Health awareness
standard guides to site personnel. Connecting pours
Successful joints
Removing laitance from Horizontal surfaces
Vertical surfaces
Formwork
Masking the joints
Placing the fresh concrete
Further reading

Concrete on site 7 - Construction joints

OS007

© The Concrete Society

05/10

Construction joints
HEALTH awareness
Dry cement powders in normal use
have no harmful effect on dry skin.
As with any dusty material there
may be ill effects from the inhala-
tion or ingestion of cement dust
and suitable precautions should be
taken.
When cement is mixed with water,
alkali is released. Precautions should
therefore be taken to prevent dry
cement entering the eyes, mouth or
nose, and to avoid skin contact with
wet concrete and mortar.
Repeated skin contact with wet
cement over a period of time may
cause irritant contact dermatitis.
The abrasiveness of the concrete or
mortar constituents can aggravate
the effect.
Some skins are sensitive to the small
amount of chromate that may be
present in cements and can develop
allergic contact dermatitis, but this
is rare.
Continued contact with the skin can
result in cement burns with ulceration.

Note that with alkali burns, pain is Concrete or mortar elsewhere on
not immediate. the skin should also be washed off
immediately.
Whenever there is persistent or
severe irritation or pain a doctor
Handling precautions should be consulted.
Protection for the eyes, mouth and
nose should be worn in circum-
stances when dry cement may Fig 1. Pouring concrete
become airborne.
CONNECTING POURS
It is often not possible to finish a
When working with wet concrete or
job at one go by placing concrete
mortar, suitable protective clothing
continuously from the beginning of
should be worn, such as long-
a pour to its end.
sleeved shirts, full-length trousers,
waterproof gloves with cotton liners
There may not have been sufficient
and wellington boots. Clothing con-
formwork, enough hours in the
taminated with wet cement, mortar
working day or there is a limit to
or concrete should be removed and
the amount of concrete that it is
washed before further use. Should
convenient for the site personnel to
concrete or mortar get into boots,
place at any one time.
remove them IMMEDIATELY and
thoroughly wash the skin and the
So when the work resumes fresh
inside of the boots before proceed-
concrete will have to be placed
ing with the job.
against a pour that has already
hardened. The resultant contact
If cement enters the eye it should be
surface between the two materials
washed immediately and thorough-
is known as a construction joint, or a
ly with clean water and medical
daywork joint.
advice sought.
Such a joint can be perfectly suc-
cessful, in fact almost as strong
Construction joints
as the concrete itself. But it must
be properly constructed. Good
construction joints are necessary
for the finished job to be sound,
and look attractive. Bad ones could
mean expensive and time-consum-
ing repairs.
This booklet gives recommenda-
tions for the methods to be used for
construction joints where a good
bond is necessary - for instance, to
prevent movement or leakage.
SUCCESSFUL JOINTS
There are three requirements that
must be fulfilled for a successful
construction joint to be formed.
 The surface of the hardened con-
crete must be clean and free from
laitance, and should also have an
exposed aggregate finish.
 The fresh concrete must be placed
and compacted so that it bonds
properly to the prepared surface
of the previously laid concrete.
 It is difficult to disguise a joint,
no matter how well it is cast, so it
is important that it forms a clean
line on the surface. For a high-
quality finish designers often
decide to make a feature of joints.
In a water retaining structures,
consideration should be given to
incorporating a water stop.
What is Laitance?
Vibration during compaction
causes surplus water to rise to the
concrete surface, a process known
as ‘bleeding.’ This water brings with
it a small amount of cement and
fines. It is this deposit that is known
as laitance.
Because of its high water content,
laitance is weak and porous. It will
stop a strong watertight joint from
being made with fresh concrete.
Similarly, a skin of cement paste
forms on the surface of concrete
cast against vertical framework. This
skin, although not quite as porous as
that on top of a horizontal surface,
will still prevent a good bond when
fresh concrete is placed against it.
Laitence on the surface must be
removed from the concrete in order
to achieve a good bond when fresh
concrete is placed against it.
Most of the methods for removing Fig 2. Exposed aggregate provides the
laitance described in this booklet key for a successful joint
involve washing and/or brushing.
When doing so, try to avoid laitance
running over the edge and on to the
side surfaces.
Once a surface has been cleaned, it
should be protected to stop it from
become soiled again.
Removing laitance from
HORIZONTAL SURFACES
There are various methods that
can be used for removing laitance
from the tops of walls and columns.
Whichever one is used, the aim is to
end up with a moderately exposed
aggregate texture.

Construction joints
Early washing and brushing
The easiest way is to brush off the
laitance while the concrete is still
fresh, but has stiffened slightly. This
is a mater of timing. So much de-
pends on the weather, cement type
and proportions. In warm weather
concrete stiffens more quickly than
in cold weather, and a rich mix
hardens faster than a lean one. It will
usually be between one and two
hours after placing.
The brush should be small and the
surface should be gently sprayed
with water as it is brushed. It is, in
fact, worth having two brushes
- one with soft, the other with hard
bristles - in case the concrete has
stiffened more than anticipated.
Brushing should not be harsh to
avoid dislodging or undercutting
pieces of coarse aggregate. When
finished, just the tips of the aggre-
gate should be showing.
If the laitance has hardened but is
still weak a wire brush can be used.
Rinse well with clean water to get
rid of the dust.

Air and water jet
If the plant is available, laitance can
be removed by abrading the surface
with a combined air and water jet.
Timing is again critical, and in this
case will depend on the pressure of
the jet as well as the concrete and
the weather. Usually, this method
can be used up to six hours after
placing, sometimes longer depend-
ing on the temperature, cement
type and content. Beware of starting
too soon, as the process might dis-
lodge coarse aggregate particles.
Abrasive Blasting
Wet or dry abrasive-blasting can
be used to expose the aggregate.
It requires special equipment and
safety precautions.
Mechanical Scabbling
If the laitance is too hard to be
removed by wire brushing, mechani-
cal scabbling using small percussion
power tools, such as those for tool-
ing exposed aggregate finishes, or a
needle gun.
Be aware not to shatter or weaken
the coarse aggregate at the surface,
or loosen the larger particles. The
concrete is at least three days old Fig 3. Washing and brushing
and care should be taken when
undertaking this work. This is a
slow method, particularly if there is
congested projecting reinforcement.
Surface Retarders
A method that is sometimes used is
to spray retarders on to the surface
of the concrete to ‘kill’ the set, and
allow the laitance to be brushed off
the following day or even later.
This method is not recommended,
Fig 4. Spray application of a surface
though, because it is difficult to be
retarder
sure that all the retarded concrete
has been removed. If it has not, it
will affect the setting of fresh con-
crete cast against it, and the result
will be a poor bond.
Retarders must never be used where
there is reinforcement in the joint,
for the bars might become contami-
nated and would not achieve a good
bond with the subsequent pour of
fresh concrete.
Construction joints
Design Features
Where a joint-either vertical or
horizontal is to be featured as a
design point, or a good, clean line is
required for any reason, care must
the taken, especially when tooling,
to avoid chipping or breaking the ar-
rises along the joint line. It is a good
idea to leave untreated a margin of
about 20-40mm along any visible
surface.
VERTICAL SURFACES
Vertical joints — in walls, beams
and slabs, for instance - are usually
formed at a stop end in the form-
work. Stop ends should be located
where the reinforcement is least
dense.
It is essential that stop ends be well
made, easily strikable and fixed to
avoid grout loss.
The existing hardened concrete at a
stop end does not normally require
any preparation in order for a con-
struction joint to be formed.
Plain, smooth surfaces will usually
give a perfectly satisfactory result.
Only when a monolithic watertight
joint is required, or when a joint is
subject to high shear forces (and it is
the engineer who must decide this),
will the surface need any treatment.
Generally there is a choice of four
suitable methods.
Washing and brushing
If the stop end can be removed
some four to six hours after concret-
ing without disturbing the main
formwork, the joint can be prepared
by the wash and brush method,
as described earlier for horizontal
surfaces.
Wire brushing
When the stop end is removed the
day after the concrete has been
compacted, the concrete will still be
green enough for the cement skin to
be removed with a wire brush to a
depth of about 2mm. Wire-brushing
should be used as soon as the stop
end has been removed.
Scabbling
When removing the stop end that
the surface of the concrete may be
too hard for wire brushing. In such Fig 5. A well-made stop end- an
instances, scabbling is likely to be essential requirement for a satisfac-
needed. tory construction joint
Other possibilities for preparing the
surface are mechanical hacking or
abrasive blasting. Choose whichever
is most convenient for the work in
hand. Take care not to damage the
edges by going too close: leave a
margin.
Expanded metal mesh
Expanded metal mesh, firmly sup-
ported, is an excellent material for
forming a good stop end. This is es-
pecially the case when the reinforce-
ment is congested, for the mesh can Fig 6. Damage is avoided by leaving a
be pushed into position over the margin when scabbling
ends of the projecting bars.

Construction joints
The rough metal texture of the mesh
provides a good mechanical key to
which new concrete can bond when
it is placed.
Although a stop end formed this
way is only about 75% as efficient
as an exposed aggregate joint, it
will be perfectly adequate for most
purposes.
Whilst it is usually unnecessary- and
in any case extremely difficult- to
remove the expanded metal when
the job is completed, it is important
to turn the edges back so that there
is no metal in the cover zone.
FORMWORK
Formwork for the subsequent
concrete pour must be accurately
aligned and well fixed to ensure that
it, and any falsework, does not move
under the pressure of the concrete,
or as a result of vibration during the
compaction.
If the original formwork was not fixed
accurately or has bowed under pres-

sure, it will be impossible to achieve a
close fit with the formwork for the next
pour. The slightest gap will allow grout
to leak out, and this can produce
discoloration, honeycombing or
unsightly grout runs. There are various
things that can be carried out to pre-
vent such a leakage e.g. strips of com-
pressible foam rubber or polyurethane
fixed around the edge of the hardened
prepared joint to form a tight fit.
MASKING THE JOINTS
Construction joints will nearly
always be visible in the finished
job and since it is very difficult to
achieve a good clean line when
making them they will often be
unsightly. So it is better to confine
them to work that will later be
hidden.
They can be masked by arranging
for an architectural feature of some
kind e.g. creating a recess along the
line of the joint.
Before constructing a feature of a
joint, it is best first to carry out a trial
of the proposed joint detail. It might
be necessary to carry out several tri-
als. Once a satisfactory arrangement
has been worked out, it can be used
throughout the entire job.
Fig 7. Foam rubber strip being fixed
PLACING THE FRESH CONCRETE
The placing and compaction of the
new concrete on, or against, the old,
needs particular care and attention,
whether it is to be an attractive, vis-
ible joint or not. In placing concrete
at joints, as in most types of con-
crete work, it is important that it can
be seen properly so lights should be
used if necessary. Poorly compacted
or honeycombed concrete at the
bottom of a lift in a wall or column,
for instance, will leave a joint that is
weak as well as visually unaccept-
able.
Fig 8. Featured joint
Removing debris
Dirt or dust must be removed
from the surface of the hardened
concrete, since that would act as
a separating layer. The best way
is to blow out the rubbish with a
Construction joints
compressed air hose, if one is avail-
able. Appropriated PPE i.e. goggles,
gloves etc, must be warn. Otherwise
brush thoroughly.
Cleaning should be done before the
new formwork is fixed because not
only will access be easier then, but
also dirt might otherwise stick to
the new form face, and that would
disfigure the surface of the finished
concrete.
More dirt may be created as the new
formwork is constructed. In this case
a removable stop end may make it
easier to blow or sweep away any
sawdust, small pieces of wood, nails,
bits of tie-wire or other debris left
behind.
Grouts and mortars
It is not good practice to coat the
face of the hardened concrete with
mortar or grout, or to excessively
wet it, before making the joint. If
applied they would need to be
scrubbed into the surface for this
type of treatment to be effective.
However as the formwork restricts
access to a horizontal joint at the
bottom of a lift, it would be difficult
to be sure that the mortar or grout
had been uniformly applied. For
vertical joints it is just about impos-
sible to apply mortar or grout to
them, especially when the formwork
is in place.
There is also a danger that the grout
or mortar would dry out before the
new concrete is placed against it
and that would simply put back the
laitance already removed.
Tests have shown that the bond is
not significantly strengthened by
this method, even if it is well done.
Also mortar or grout would give a
line of a different colour, spoiling the
appearance of the joint.
Horizontal Joints
Place the concrete straight into
position, spreading it uniformly over
the surface to the required depth in
a series of layers none of them more
than 500mm thick.
The first layer must not be deficient
in fines. There is a tendency for
ready-mixed concrete emerging
at the start of the discharge from a
truck mixer to be a bit harsh. So put
the first couple of barrowfuls to one
side to be remixed and used later.
Fig 9. Concrete should be placed in
If the joint is being made inside a
layers
small column, take special care not
to make the layers too deep. In fact,
it might be better to shovel the
concrete into such a member, rather
than discharge directly from a skip.
This latter method could easily result
in too much concrete being placed
at one time, and proper compac-
tion of the concrete would then be
difficult. Honeycombing at the base
may result.
A skip can be used to fill the
formwork for a wall, provided that it
kept moving along the top so that
concrete does not pile up in one
place. Fix baffle boards to make sure
the concrete is discharged cleanly
to the bottom of the forms, and that
none falls outside.

Construction joints ! USEFUL CONTACTS
British Precast Concrete Federation
The concrete in every construction
www.britishprecast.org
joint needs to be well compacted,
especially the first layer. On this first BSI Quality Assurance
layer, insert the poker at about half www.bsi-global.com
metre centres and allow a longer Cement Admixture Association
vibration time for each insertion www.admixtures.org.uk
than might be needed when dealing
with subsequent layers. Cementitious Slag Makers Association
www.ukcsma.co.uk
Construction Plant Association
www.cpa.uk.net
Vertical Joints Meteorological office
Place the concrete in the formwork www.metoffice.gov.uk.
in a layer that stops 150-300mm
from the joint. Then, taking great Mineral Products Association
care, use the poker vibrator to make www.mineralproducts.org
the concrete flow gently towards Quality Scheme for Ready Mixed Concrete
the joint until the newly placed con- www.qsrmc.co.uk
crete meets accurately with the old.
Sprayed Concrete Association
www.sca.org.uk
Normally, of course, it is advised not
to use vibration to make concrete The Concrete Centre
flow horizontally. www.concretecentre.com
The Concrete Society
However, some flow of concrete www.concrete.org.uk
towards a vertical joint will be
unavoidable for full compaction to UK Cares (reinforcement)
be achieved there. For more detailed www.ukcares.co.uk
information about compaction, see UK Quality Ash Association
No 5: Placing and compacting. www.ukqaa .org.uk


Construction joints
FURTHER READING BS EN 206-1: Concrete.
Part 1: Specification, performance, production and conformity.
For information on Standards and other publications, refer to the Concrete BS EN 12350: Testing fresh concrete.
Book Shop, www.concretebookshop.com Part 1: Sampling.
Part 2: Slump test .
British Standards Part 4: Degree of compactability.
BS 1881: Testing Concrete. Part 5: Flow table test.
Part 113: Method for making and curing no-fines test cubes. Part 7: Air content. Pressure methods.
Part 130: Method for temperature-matched curing of concrete specimens. BS EN 12390: Testing hardened concrete.
BS 4449: Steel for the reinforcement of concrete. Weldable reinforcing steel. Bar, Part 2: Making and curing specimens for strength tests.
coil and decoiled product. Specification. Part 3: Compressive strength of test specimens.
BS 4482: Steel wire for the reinforcement of concrete products. Specification. BS EN 13670: Execution of concrete structures.
BS 4483: Steel fabric for the reinforcement of concrete. Specification. BS EN 13286-41 Unbound and hydraulically bound mixtures: Part 41: Test
BS 5975: Code of practice for temporary works procedures and the permissible method for determination of the compressive strength of hydraulically bound
stress design of falsework. mixtures.
BS 7542: Method of test for curing compounds for concrete. BS EN 14227-1 Unbound and Hydraulically bound mixtures – Specifications
– Part 1 Cement bound granular mixtures.
BS 7973: Spacers and chairs for steel reinforcement and their specification.
BS 8443: Specification for establishing the suitability of special purpose concrete
admixtures.
BS 8500: Concrete – complementary British Standard to BS EN 206–1: 2000,
Part 1: Method of specification and guidance for the specifier.
Part 2: Specification for constituent materials and concrete.
BS 8666: Scheduling, dimensioning, bending and cutting of steel reinforcement
for concrete. Specification.


Construction joints
Further reading continued. Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA)
Concrete pressure on formwork, Report 108, 1985
Building Research Establishment Formwork striking times – criteria, prediction and methods of assessment,
Report 136, 1995
Design of normal concrete mixes, 2nd ed, 1997
Action in the case of non-conformity of concrete structures, Report C519, 1999
Formwork for modern, efficient concrete construction, BR495, 2007

The Concrete Society
Technical Report 52, Plain formed concrete finishes, 1999
Technical Report 62, Self-compacting concrete, 2005
Formwork – a guide to good practice, 2nd edition, 1995
Good Concrete Guide 2: Pumping concrete, 2005
Good Concrete Guide 6: Slipforming of vertical structures, 2008
Good Concrete Guide 7: Foamed concrete, application and specification, 2009
Good Concrete Guide 8: Concrete practice, Guidance on the practical aspects of
concreting, 2008
Checklist for erecting and dismantling falsework, 1999
Checklist for assembly, use and striking of formwork, 2003
Concrete Advice no 16, Assessing as struck in situ concrete surfaces, 2003
Concrete Advice no 20, Curing concrete, 2005
Concrete Advice no 30, Identity testing for strength in accordance with
BS EN 206-1 and BS 8500-1, 2007
Concrete Advice no 31, Identity testing of fresh concrete for properties other
than strength, 2007
Concrete Advice no 37, Mould release agents, 2008
Construct
Guide to flat slab formwork and falsework, 2003
A guide to the safe transportation of formwork and falsework equipment, 2005
A guide to the safe use of formwork and falsework, 2008
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Hand-vibration – The control of vibration at work regulations, 2005
The work at height regulations, 2005
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, 2002
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999
Managing Health and Safety in Construction, 2007
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations, 1992
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations, 1992
Highways Agency, Her Majesty’s Stationary Office (HMSO)
Manual of contract documents for highway works, vol 1, Specification for High-
way Works

10
Construction
joints
Other titles in the Concrete on site series

1. Ready-mixed concrete
2. Reinforcement
3. Formwork
4. Moving fresh concrete
Published by The Concrete Society 5. Placing and compacting
OS007
6. Curing
Published May 2010
© The Concrete Society
7. Construction joints
8. Making-good and finishing
The Concrete Society
Riverside House, 4 Meadows Business Park 9. Sampling & testing fresh concrete
Station Approach, Blackwater, Camberley
Surrey GU17 9AB
10. Making test cubes
Tel: +44(0)1276 607140 FAX: +44(0)1276 607140 11. Winter working
www.concrete.org.uk

Other publications in this series are available from the

Concrete Bookshop at www.concretebookshop.com
Tel: +44(0)7004 607777

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