Dowel Bar Caps & Chairs
Lomont IMT manufactures durable, easy to install dowel bar caps and dowel bar chairs for highway concrete restoration projects (see below). Our dowel bar caps and chairs are precision injection molded for a perfect fit on 1-1/4” or 1-1/2” dowel bars. High quality plastic materials ensure durability, reliability, and longevity.
Dowel bar caps, as the name implies, slide over the open end of the dowel bar. Dowel bar chairs provide support for dowel bars and raise them above the surface of the road or ground; dowel bars easily snap in place. Both products are available in two sizes, 1-1/4” and 1-1/2”, to fit most dowel bar retrofit applications.
View our dowel bar cap and dowel bar chair options to find the right product for your needs. See individual product listings for further information and information.
Order today, request a quote or contact Lomont IMT to learn more about these or any of our highway and traffic products.
Dowel Bar Retrofit Process
Many states have started retrofitting older or damaged stretches of highway with epoxy-coated dowel bars. This dowel bar retrofit process begins with the cutting of six slots—three in each wheel path—across all transverse joints or cracks. Slots are cut with ganged diamond-tipped saws that make six cuts in each wheel path. The concrete between the saw cuts is then removed using lightweight jackhammers (heavier jackhammers can damage the neighboring concrete).
Next, epoxy-coated dowel bar sections are installed in the slots. The slots are then filled with grout, and the joints or cracks are filled in with waterproof caulk. A diamond grinder is then used to remove excess grout from the joint and to level the surface to accommodate for any displacement of the panels.
The final step of the concrete restoration process usually involves diamond-grinding the entire road surface to remove any bumps or dips. Without a dowel bar retrofit, this grinding may need to be repeated every six to eight years; with a dowel bar retrofit, however, it is predicted that maintenance intervals will greatly increase. Dowel bar retrofit has been proven to be a highly effective and longer-lasting asphalt overlay alternative, providing at least ten more years of service with significantly improved ride quality.
