# Tie Bars

Tie bars are either deformed steel bars or connectors used to hold the faces of abutting slabs in contact (AASHTO, 1993).

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- Last updated: 2018-09-04
- Review: reviewed by licensed professional engineers on the previous Pavement Interactive site, where reviewers were not recorded by name

Tie bars are either deformed steel bars or connectors used to hold the faces of abutting slabs in contact (AASHTO, 1993[^1]). Although they may provide some minimal amount of load transfer, they are not designed to act as load transfer devices and should not be used as such (AASHTO, 1993[^1]). Tie bars are typically used at longitudinal joints (see Figure 1) or between an edge joint and a curb or shoulder. Typically, tie bars are about 12.5 mm (0.5 inches) in diameter and between 0.6 and 1.0 m (24 and 40 inches long).

![Tie Bars Along a Longitudinal Joint](https://pavementinteractive.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/Tie_bars1.jpg)

*Figure 1.* Tie Bars Along a Longitudinal Joint

## Sources

[^1]: AASHTO (1993). AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Washington, D.C.