Stress Redistribution in Concrete Floor on Ground Due to Application of Polymer Flexible Joint to Fill Expansion Joint

A problem of filling a concrete floor expansion joint was described and an alternative material for filling the joint – polymer flexible joint (PFJ) was also presented. Basic properties of polymer flexible joints as a hyperelastic material were depicted with calibration of corresponding material coefficients. A numerical analysis of concrete shrinkage, applied in calculations as an equivalent of temperature load, with application of polymer flexible joint was conducted – for PS and PM polymer types. These cases were also compared with traditional bonding method (epoxy resin). Basic results of the numerical analysis were compared – such as displacements and reduced stresses according to Huber-Mises-Hencky hypothesis. Differences in stresses redistribution were observed between analyzed models whereas values of displacements were similar.