Concrete
Q&A
Repair of Joint Spalling
Q.
Floor slabs in our warehouse are experiencing
spalling at joints in the lift-truck traffic lanes.
How can we restore the joints to provide a
smooth ride?
A.
Joint spalling caused by hard-wheeled traffic is,
perhaps, the most common problem for industrial
concrete floor slabs. It is a result of “shear failure
of unsupported slab edges due to lack of properly-installed
joint/crack filler, the impact of lift-truck wheels on the joint
edge due to insufficient joint stability, or both.”1 In contrast to
pneumatic tires, hard wheels create a small contact area when
crossing joints, which increases the risk of joint spalling. The
smaller and harder the wheel, the greater the risk of spalling.
To increase safety and efficiency with taller racking systems,
material handling equipment is incorporating smaller and
harder wheels; therefore, joint spalling is becoming more and
more common.
Joint stability (“differential deflection of adjacent slab
panel edges when a service load crosses the joint”1) is a
measure of load transfer provided by the joint. Joint stability
can be determined using any device that measures the relative
change in surface elevation between adjacent panels.2 Lower
differential deflection numbers indicate better joint stability.
For joints subjected to lift-truck traffic, good service life
should be expected with joint stability readings below 0.010 in.
(a)
Fig. 1: Joint spalling: (a) less than 1 in. (25 mm) wide; and (b) wider than 1 in.
(0.25 mm) for trucks with small hard wheels and 0.020 in.
(0.51 mm) for trucks with large, cushioned rubber wheels.3,4
These recommendations are appropriate provided that the
joint saw cut is filled full-depth with semi-rigid joint filler and
the filler is properly maintained.4 Regardless of wheel type,
when joint stability values are above 0.060 in. (1.5 mm), the
joint is considered unstable and will experience reduced
service life.2
The primary purpose of the joint filler is to provide
compressive lateral support to the joint wall to resist shear and
impact stresses leading to fracture. As some joint movement is
required due to normal fluctuations in ambient conditions
(temperature and relative humidity), joint filler should not be a
rigid product. Flexible material, such as exterior pavement
joint “sealers,” do not provide enough compressive lateral
support, so a joint filler with a Shore A Hardness equal to or
greater than that of the wheel is often recommended.
However, if joints are unstable and adjacent slab panels
deflect independently, semi-rigid joint fillers can separate
from the joint wall and become dislodged from the joint,
exposing it to spalling risk.
Repair of spalled joints depends on the extent of the
damage. In general, if joint spalling is less than 1 in. (25 mm)
wide (as shown in Fig. 1(a)), the joint can typically be routed
out, cleaned, and refilled with a semi-rigid filler. If joint
spalling is greater than 1 in. (as shown in Fig. 1(b)), it may be
(b)
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Concrete Q&A
Fig. 2: Repaired joint with reinstalled filler
necessary to use a concrete saw to cut along the spall
perimeter and remove the distressed concrete. The excavated
joint can then be filled with a repair mortar. To complete the
repair, the joint should be recut and filled with semi-rigid joint
filler (as shown in Fig. 2). For either repair case, it is
important to restore a crisp vertical joint wall as the bearing
surface for the new joint filler. Note that installing filler into
spalled joints is generally ineffective. In some cases, when
spalling is deeper than half the slab thickness, full-depth
repairs may be needed.1,2
For long-term performance, the filler needs to be installed
full-depth of the sawed portion of the joint. Typically, for
saw-cut contraction joints, this is 1/4 the slab thickness.
However, as the joint widens due to normal concrete
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shrinkage over the first year, semi-rigid fillers typically
separate from the concrete face. If the filler does not separate
and stretches as the joint widens, it becomes ineffective
against spalling as it no longer provides compressive lateral
support (stretched filler is in tension). As they generally have
low elongation, two-part epoxies typically serve well as the
initial filler, as they separate from the concrete and thereby
signal the need for refilling of the joint. Polyurea fillers allow
faster cure time than epoxies, and they permit quicker refilling
after drying shrinkage and joint widening. They therefore are
preferred for refilling.
In contraction joints, refilling and spall repairs are typically
effective if the new filler is installed to a minimum depth of
1/2 to 3/4 in. (13 to 19 mm). In construction joints, it is
important to create a shelf to prevent the filler from dropping
or extend the filler at least 2 in. (50 mm) deep to increase the
bond area to the joint wall.2
References
1. ACI Committee 302, “Guide to Concrete Floor and Slab Construction
(ACI 302.1R-15),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI,
2015, 76 pp.
2. Tarr, S.M., “Industrial Slab-on-Ground Joint Stability,” Concrete
Repair Bulletin, May/June 2004, pp. 6-9.
3. Garber, G., Design and Construction of Concrete Floors, second
edition, Elsevier Press, 2006, 233 pp.
4. ACI Committee 360, “Guide to Design of Slabs-on-Ground (ACI
360R-10),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2010, 72 pp.
Thanks to Scott M. Tarr, North S.Tarr Concrete Consulting, PC, Dover,
NH, for providing the answer to this question.