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Concrete & Masonryaka: contraction jointaka: crack control jointaka: saw cut

Control Joint

In Plain English

A planned groove or cut in concrete that tells the concrete where to crack so random cracking doesn't appear elsewhere.

Definition

A pre-planned groove or weakened plane cut or formed into concrete flatwork or masonry walls to direct and control the location of shrinkage cracking. As concrete dries and shrinks, it cracks at these intentional weak points rather than randomly across the surface. Control joints in slabs-on-grade are typically saw-cut to a depth of 1/4 of the slab thickness.

Example

Control joints were saw-cut at 12-foot intervals in the warehouse floor slab within 4 hours of the pour finishing.

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