What’s a slip joint?

Print anything with Printful



Slip joints allow movement but not disconnection between components, preventing separation while maintaining separate functions. They are used in small items like pliers and large structures like retractable stadium roofs, and can be used for automated adjustment and easier transportation. Slip joints are also used in civil engineering projects to connect buildings without fully bonding them together, allowing for minimal displacement during ground shifts or earthquakes.

A slip joint is a mechanical connection between two elements that allows movement but not disconnection between the components. This is done to prevent components from separating, even though they keep their separate functions. Sliding joints are used in a multitude of forms, from small items like a pair of pliers to moving components in construction cranes. Swing arms in structures as large as retractable stadium roofs also use slip joints.

Another function that a slip joint is used for is to allow a component connected to another via a slip joint to be adjusted from one position where it remains fixed to a different fixed position. Such joints also allow for automated adjustment between two pieces. These simpler types of sliding joints are typically used to make a mechanical device easier to transport by keeping the elements of the device from separating and allowing them to shrink in overall size. Devices such as tripod legs or objects such as telescopes employ the use of these simple sliding joints.

More complicated sliding joints are used on a much larger scale, such as those used in civil engineering projects. Structures such as the retractable roofs of stadiums require the use of sliding joints to allow the roof panels to interact with each other without becoming immovably fixed to each other. In cases where two buildings are to be joined through the use of a structure such as a skyway, a slip joint can be used as a means of connecting the two buildings without fully bonding them together.

Slip joints can be used when two buildings are built on foundations in an area where the ground shifts frequently or experiences earthquakes. Slip joints allow buildings to undergo minimal displacement without creating disruption in either structure. This is due to the tolerance of the “floating” skywalk which was connected by slip joints to one or both structures. Regardless of the size of the structure or elements involved, a slip joint remains quite basic in its primary function and purpose, allowing movement of the two elements without separation occurring.




Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN


Skip to content