Bridge expansion joints – design for movements, performance and durability

Expansion joints in medium-size and long bridges should be regarded as important bridge components.There is a trend to minimize the number of joints, and design each joint to permit large movements. It is therefore important to develop suitable joint types that function smoothly for such large movements during a long time without damages or malfunctioning. A widely used, modern joint type for large joint movements is the Modular Bridge Expansion Joint (MBEJ). The paper mainly deals with different aspects of MBEJs (function, fatigue, durability, maintenance, noise etc). Traffic forces on MBEJs as well as quality requirements and assessment are discussed.