Will Your Concrete Survive the Winter?

Chicago’s temperamental weather can have a major impact on construction materials without the help of creative solutions. For example, concrete expansion joints are often placed between concrete slabs to prevent cracks due to temperature changes.

What are Expansion Joints?

An expansion joint is simply a disconnection between segments of the same material, filled with flexible filler material. This design absorbs expansion, contraction and vibration, and permits soil movements due to temperature changes, settlement, or natural phenomena like earthquakes and tornadoes.

Unfortunately, these expansion heroes have a relentless foe — the snowplow. Many snowplows employ steel blades, wreaking havoc on these otherwise low-maintenance features. We highly recommend checking with your snow removal contractors to ensure they use rubber blades on your property. However, even rubber blades can cause damage to an expansion joint by plowing perpendicular across, rather than parallel to the joint. LS Contracting Group recommends snow removal by hand along expansion joints to minimize risk associated with standard plows. But hey, snow happens! If your expansion joints don’t survive the winter, give us a call - we specialize in repairing this type of damage.

LS Contracting Group, Inc. | (773) 774-1122 | LSContracting.com

For more extreme weather expansion solutions, check out what Sika EMSEAL posted about waterproof roof-to-wall expansion joints at Kansas City International Airport. These heavy-duty expansion joints are designed to help buildings withstand the high movement and harsh conditions in "Tornado Alley".