Department of Army, New England Division, Corps of Engineers, 424 Trapelo Road, Waltham, Massachusetts 02254-9149

95 -- MODULAR EXPANSION JOINT SYSTEMS DUE 112697 POC Michelle A. Kewer (871) 647-8414l E-MAIL: Contact Contracting Officer for any additional information, Michelle.A.Kewer@usace.army.mil. 95 -- MODULAR EXPANSION JOINT SYSTEMS. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ONLY. This is not a request for proposal and does not commit the government to award a contract. The U.S. Army Engineer District, New England, is requesting technical information on modular expansion joint systems. The modular expansion joint system shall be a complete system manufactured by one company, designed for HS-20 truck loading with impact (and lateral loads perpendicular to traffic), and which will allow the bridge deck to expand/contract a minimum of 18" while maintaining a smooth, watertight riding surface. The modular joint system shall consist of steel edge and separation beams (aligned perpendicular to the direction of traffic and conforming to the crown of the deck surface), with preformed elastomeric box seals filling the gaps in between. The modular joint system shall be designed such that the total expansion and contraction of the joint is equally distributed among the box seals. Each interior (separation) beam shall be individually supported by an independent support bar (at each support box locations), welded to the separation beam. The top and bottom faces at the ends of the support bars shall be faced with stainless steel and shall be supported on low-friction polyurethane bearings. Polyurethane springs shall be provided on top of the support bars to prevent looseness and uplift of the bars. All of the support components shall be housed in steel support boxes spaced at 5 feet on center along the joint. The manufacurer shall have sufficient engineering capability to modify their "standard" modular joint system to accommodate spacial limitations (i.e. the top of the support box may need to be set as low as 14" below the roadway surface, or the bottom of the support box as high as 7" below the roadway surface). The modular expansion joint system as a whole, and its individul components, shall be designed, tested, and evaluated for fatigue, considering over 2 million load cycles of an HS-20 vehicle in accordance with AASHTO Specifications. Loading shall include a 30% increase for impact, a 1,000 lb lateral load perpendicular to traffic, and a horizontal load equal to 20% of the vertical live load (acting concurrently). Individual components of the modular expansion joint system shall also meet the following minimum requirements: BOX SEALS -- Shape of a box with separate top and bottom flanges, stiffeners at the corners, and preformed hinges to control folding of the box seal and to promote self-removal of foreign material during normal joint operation; shall mechanically lock into the separation beams; made of Polychloroprene which is impervious, oil resistant, ultraviolet tolerant, and will elongate a minimum of 250% before breaking according to ASTMD-412; able to be installed in the field after the rest of the joint system is in place. EQUIDISTANT CONTROL OF MOVEMENT -- Shall ensure that the box seals remain within their designed range of movement; shall be vibration dampening, sound attenuating, and impact absorbing; shall perform in a way that the control buffers are compressed as the joint is expanded. Buffers shall be of polyurethane with a high longitudinal strain capacity concurrently with low lateral strain. SUPPORT BEARINGS -- Bearings (and springs) shall be made of highly durable polyurethane, having low compressive deformation properties. The bearings and springs shall be faced with low-friction PTFE (polytetrafluorethylene) contact surfaces. The bearings shall maintain alignment and spacing of the support bars. The bearings shall allow the joint system to accommodate rotation and deflection as well as thermal expansion. STEEL BEAMS AND BARS -- Manufacturer's shop shall be certified for category III structural steel fabrication in accordance with AISC. Separation beams shall be of ASTM A588 weathering steel. Support bars and boxes shall be of ASTM A36 steel. Separation beams, support bars, and their connections shall be designed and tested for fatigue (over 2 million load cycles). If you and your system can meet these requirements, please furnish any brochures, product literature and information to the above address, ATTN: Michelle Kewer, Contracts Branch, no later than 26 November 1997. (0309)

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