1. Different movements of structures and joints

Public works structures are essentially made of concrete and steel, with various roadway coatings, mainly hydrocarbon binders.

Concrete is a living material that undergoes deformation, firstly during the setting of the cement (shrinkage), and secondly throughout the life of the structure when it is subjected to various stresses: dimensional variations, displacement and various movements studied below.

• Thermal and hygrometric dimensional variations, daily and seasonal

  The temperature-dependent length change of an unstressed structure is calculated by the formula :

  with :

  L

   : 

  initial length of the element in question,
  

  ...