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What's New with EMSEAL
A short, running overview of
EMSEAL news, products and their application.
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Airport
Floor Expansion Joints and the Common Law of Business Balance...in
other words, "you get what you pay for".
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(click images to enlarge) |
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When Richmond International
Airport undertook a major upgrade and expansion in 2008, it joined a
growing list of airports that have, or are over time, upgrading
their interior floor expansion joints to EMSEAL
MIGUTRANS. Why? The run-of-the-mill floor expansion
joints available from a dozen manufacturers are victims of a race to
the bottom of quality. Driven by price, aluminum grade,
extrusion thickness, and anchoring methods have been slowly
downgraded. The result are joints that cannot handle the
point-loads of modern building floors.
As
nineteenth
century observer of society and the construction arts, John Ruskin
commented:
“It
is unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little.
When you pay too much you lose a little money—that is all. When
you pay too little you sometimes lose everything, because the
thing you bought was incapable of doing the things it was bought
to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a
little and getting a lot. It can’t be done. If you deal with
the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you
run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for
something better.”
Airports especially
see traffic that induces repeated rolling point loads that reek
havoc on lightweight expansion joints.
MIGUTRANS from EMSEAL's
comprehensive selection of durable floor joints, is a
heavy-duty, interior floor expansion joint system that provides a
smooth rolling and traffic surface, handles heavy loads, and
integrates aesthetically into floor finishes. |
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A Waterproof Solution for the Plaza Deck at
New York's Famous Lincoln Center
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The very public plaza
at North America’s premier music venue, Lincoln Center in New York City,
had a continuing problem with leaking plaza expansion joints. Almost
since its initial construction in 1959, it had been leaking water from
the grand plaza to the underground parking levels below. Two subsequent
retrofits of new expansion joint systems still failed to remedy the
leaks. The fourth attempt at a fix was planned to be an expensive custom
solution designed exclusively for Lincoln Center involving years of
engineering and a significant manufacturing and installation cost to the
developers. And even then it would be an untested solution hoping to
alleviate the problem.
In 2008 EMSEAL entered the discussion, introduced after recent successes
at other high-profile New York City installations including Yankee
Stadium. After reviewing EMSEAL waterproofing projects in New York and
Washington, DC, the decision was made to install
EMSEAL’s MIGUTAN system. With a 20-year track record and tens of
thousands of feet installed and functioning, the
MIGUTAN expansion joint system has proven to be well suited for
applications, particularly over occupied space, where the totally
watertight integration of expansion joint and deck membrane are a
fundamental requirement of the split-slab construction as found on this
plaza deck. Its unique design incorporates side membranes which
integrate with the deck waterproofing system to form a
continuous, completely watertight system. After installation the final
view for pedestrians is that of a
simple pair of closely aligned steel capping strips straddling a
thermosplastic rubber gland.
Engineering personnel
within EMSEAL created
CAD details and manufacturing plans to adequately address the
hundreds of feet of plaza expansion joint to be installed in this
retrofit application. They paid particular attention to maintain the
continuity of seal through the transitions of
direction and around columns as well as at terminations.
The result today is a final watertight solution at Lincoln Center’s
famed plaza. Exposed to severe water, snow and the temperature ranges
found in the northeast United States, as well as hundreds of thousands
of visitors and accompanying foot traffic each year, EMSEAL’s MIGUTAN
system is keeping water from leaking through the deck. Avery Hall, the
Metropolitan Opera House, the NY State Theater and the Julliard School
of Music finally have a watertight public plaza deck worthy of the
Lincoln Center’s great fame.
Posted February 2, 2010
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General Electric Turbine Manufacturing Facility
Installs Fire-Rated WFR2 Solving Wall Design Challenge
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The General Electric Gas
Turbine Test Stand 8 in Greenville, SC is the manufacturing home of the
world’s largest and most efficient gas turbine. It’s an enormous
structure capable of housing assembly lines capable of producing the
turbines. The construction needed an interior and exterior, UL certified
2-hour fire-rated wall expansion joint system for a long vertical run
joining two walls in a corner. The large walls were also constructed in
different planes incorporating a horizontal bump out to join the
different planes.
New South Supply selected the
EMSHIELD WFR2 system because it provided a UL 2-hour
fire-rating, met the expansion joint movement requirements, and the
single-unit design offered an installation method which would be quick
and wouldn’t damage the existing wall system.
EMSEAL’s Wall Checklist was filled-out onsite and provided the necessary
field measurements to determine the best widths for the sticks of WFR2.
To accommodate the bump-outs, and maintain the continuity of seal, a
group of
EMSEAL technical support, engineering, and manufacturing personnel
gathered to design a custom solution. They determined that a slight
alteration to the standard WFR2 Universal-90 transition would allow the
expansion joint to transverse from one plane to the next. The
flexibility of WFR2 allowed this design to be achieved with no damage to
the integrity of the system.
The success of this project showed that the unique field conditions
didn’t pose an obstacle; they allowed the flexibility of the WFR2 system
design to come through and handle engineering modifications needed to
complete the wall. The ability to meet the design challenges found in
many new and retrofit structures is one of the many features found in
all EMSEAL products
Posted February 1, 2010
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Curved Expansion Joints? EMSEAL Bends Over Backwards, Longways,
and Sideways for You...
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Whether in curved
skylights at
St. Louis Lambert Field, roadways at JetBlue, or around
elliptical columns at the Nationals Ball Park, curved expansion
joints more common than you'd think. Regardless of the radius
and the material
best suited the application, EMSEAL has the expertise to not
only follow the curve but make the joints watertight while handling
the structural movements you're designing for. Our
precompressed foam sealants-SEISMIC
COLORSEAL (above left),
MIGUTAN
split-slab system
(above middle and right); and our
THERMAFLEX winged seals can all be fabricated to follow your
curves. For more on this subject read the
article in our Knowledge
Base or contact us.
Posted January 20th, 2010
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Expansion Joints have evolved. Find out
how at EMSEAL's
Trade Show Suite during the 2010 World of Concrete
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The EM-SIDE
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We all came from somewhere.
Before concrete there was stone.
Before microsphere-modified acrylic polymers, there was tar.
EMSEAL is proud to have evolved with
changes in material and building science. We would love to share
with you, in person, the latest in expansion joint sealing—from our
breakthrough
SEISMIC JOINT SYSTEM, to our revolutionary
fire-rated,
watertight,
sound-blocking, hurricane-resistant
EMSHIELD
product line for
floors,
walls
and decks.
As proud as we are of the product line, our approach to expansion
joint treatment is as developed.
Continuity of seal,
non-invasive
anchoring,
3-D
joint design, and
checklist-based quality assurance are all hallmarks of an
evolution in expansion joint treatment.
Once again EMSEAL will have a
Trade Show Suite at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas to coincide
with the 2010 World of Concrete. If you would like rest your
weary trade show feet and knees during a personal meeting with
the EMSEAL staff to discuss a project or to be introduced to the
state-of-the-art in joint sealing, contact us to set up an
appointment. We are scheduling meetings in our suite Tuesday
afternoon through Friday Morning.
Email Christine to set up your
appointment:
cattwood@emseal.com or give us a call: 800-526-8365 or
508-836-0280.
Cartoon
courtesy of Julia
Hensley--artist and teacher who's series dubbed "The EM-SIDE
(with appropriate what have yous to Gary Larson)" will occasionally
be featured here in the future.
Posted January 20th, 2010
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Tired of
Noisy Plates and Leaking Expansion Joints, Prudential Center Boston
Switches to Seismic Joint System
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(click images to enlarge)
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Joining a
growing list of
owners and managers that are tired of noisy, leaky expansion joints,
Boston Properties is upgrading many of its joints to EMSEAL. At
this location at and entrance to it's vast underground parking deck the
parking deck joint selection was
SJS
SYSTEM.
Unlike
noisy self-centering-bar
and coverplate joints, SJS has absolutely no metal anchors into the
concrete. The foam-flanked centering spline holds the plate which
rides on the concrete or on EMSEAL's sound and impact-absorbing
nosing material.
Since its installation, the
SJS SYSTEMS has been maintenance free. Featuring aluminum coverplates (stainless steel
also available), and an
ADA
compliant coefficient of friction, the SJS SYSTEM is watertight,
quiet, traffic durable,
non-invasively anchored and aesthetically
coordinated.
Posted January 19th, 2010
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| "Tomato,
tomahto "--Carpark, Parkade, Parking Deck, Parking
Garage--No Matter What you call them, the expansion joints shouldn't
leak... |
(click
images for larger view) |
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Expansion joints in parking decks (above
left)
are often the leak point for water into lower level parking areas or
even occupied space below. Watertightness is therefore critical.
When design or structural factors cause joints to change plane or
direction is where most joints leak--often after the first rain storm.
EMSEAL uses a thermoplastic rubber in the manufacture of our
THERMAFLEX parking deck expansion joint system. This allows
the joint to be factory-welded to follow changes in plane and direction
while preserving
continuity of seal (above middle). While others have adopted the raw material to be
able to offer this feature, few make it the cornerstone of their
practice. In addition, EMSEAL is the only manufacturer that
routinely reinforces all factory welds with an additional layer of
thermoplastic rubber sheet. By doing so the full uncut strength of
the rubber is restored at all welds.
Anyone can make
joints watertight in cross-section. Where they jog around columns;
go up a curb and over a sidewalk; or terminate into a vertical plane
surface like a wall or parapet, is where expansion joints leak.
Water tests (above right) should be a standard to ensure that
installation of transitions is watertight as well.
Posted January 18th, 2010
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UVA's Scott Stadium Joins Packers, Redskins, Colts, Jets/Giants, and
many more in Successful Expansion Joint Installation |
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(click
images for larger view) |
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Over the last several years, EMSEAL and contractor
Richmond Primoid, Inc. have been
involved in a steady program of upgrades to Scott Stadium that includes
retrofitting failed and leaking expansion joints. The program has
been flexibly adapted to the university's sports schedule as well as
annual budgets. The
custom-tailored solution takes into account the locations, traffic,
movement, and existing joint sizes at each expansion joint location.
Consequently systems from EMSEAL's entire
selection of stadium expansion joints have been utilized where they
are best suited.
SEISMIC
JOINT SYSTEM-SJS is the latest to be installed and was chose where
existing joints were too large for a winged-compression seal system like
THERMAFLEX
that was used elsewhere on the project.
The picture above left
illustrates the unique ability of SJS to ensure continuity of seal in
plane changes. The view is looking down over the railing at the
transition between the upper and lower seating bowls. It shows how
the expansion joint system has been supplied and installed to be
watertight throughout this transition.
Above right is a view
looking down the completed installation of the
SJS
SYSTEM in the seating bowl. The sandblasted coverplates are
skid resistant and feature a long chamfer on its edges to facilitate
pedestrian traffic. Other EMSEAL systems used on the project
include
double-sided SEISMIC COLORSEAL,
DSM SYSTEM,
SEISMIC COLORSEAL and
THERMAFLEX
with hundreds of factory-fabricated inside and outside transitions to
follow the treads and risers.
Scott Stadium joins the
Packers, Colts, Jets/Giants, Patriots, Yankees, Mets, Phillies, U of
Michigan, U of Minnesota, U of Maryland, U of Cincinnati and many more
on a
long list of successful new and retrofit stadium expansion joint
projects featuring EMSEAL expansion joint products and custom
solutions.
Posted January 15th, 2010
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Fire-Rated Expansion Joint Sealants Selling Like Hot Cakes
Over 11,000 LF in first year of product launch proves EMSEAL’s
fire-rated hybrids are the state-of-the-art of joint sealing.
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From
prisons to factories, military bases to schools, and airports to
stadiums the EMSHIELD product line is combining life-safety, sound
blocking and insulation with the traditional roles of sealants in
filling and sealing structural and other joint openings.
When we
launched our
DFR2 (for floors and
decks) and
WFR2
(for concrete and
gypsum walls)
versions of our EMSHIELD product line, we knew that the years of R&D in
addressing the shortcomings of other technologies had been achieved. We
are hugely gratified by the market response to the product in the
less-than-one year since their launch.
Today’s
wall and floor systems are being designed and constructed to perform a
growing number of functions. Beyond simply separating rooms or enclosing
a structure, they are now expected to
maintain thermal conditions, contain the spread of fire,
suppress the transmission of sound, and seal out the
intrusion of water and wind.
The
bottom line: why wouldn’t you specify and install a product with an
inherent UL 2079 certified fire rating? There is no reason to
compromise life safety while at the same time satisfying ALL of the
functions of the wall or floor assembly into which the product is
installed.
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EMSHIELD Installation is straightforward with no invasive anchors... |
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EMSHIELD is shipped precompressed to less
than the field measured joint size and held that way in shrink-wrapped,
hardboard packaging. |
The shrink-wrap and hardboard are removed
and the foam begins to gradually expand. Epoxy is applied to the
foam and substrate. |
The WFR2 material is installed into the
joint and connected to previously installed lengths or to
factory-fabricated transitions.
(for a .pdf of complete installation instructions
Click Here) |
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Posted January 13th, 2010
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EMSEAL Comes Through for
Massive Port Allen Lock Project
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Imagine having to replace and install expansion joints in a massive
public works structure with a very small window of time to complete
the job. A temporarily drained river lock with concrete walls rising
over six stories tall, a bottom bed as wide as half the width of an NFL
football field, and four weeks to complete the project before the 90-ton
doors reopen to let the Mississippi river water flow back in, was the
challenge facing the crews working on the Port Allen (LA) Lock in the
summer of 2009.
Built and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Port
Allen Lock is a crucial connection of shipping traffic between the
Mississippi river and the Intercoastal Waterway just west of Baton
Rouge, LA. In 2009 it was determined that, due to leak-induced
water-related subsidence, the 22 runs of expansion joints (each over 300
feet long) had to be replaced. The plan was to drain the lock and leave
it closed for repairs during a four week period. The substantial effect
on shipping traffic was secondary to the need to stop the erosion and
leaking at the Lock.
Python Corporation of Lacombe, LA was contracted to replace the
expansion joints. They contacted EMSEAL with an immediate request for
over 6,700 feet of EMSEAL’s DSM to be used as the
surface-seal and a containment barrier for an injected polyurethane grout system. The sealing performance of
DSM
acrylic-impregnated preformed foam was the determining factor in
choosing this product to replace the existing failed caulking. But
sealing performance had to also work with the project constraints
requiring quick installation and availability of product.
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Prepared Joint
DSM Installed
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The DSM System, as well as all other EMSEAL preformed foam sealants, is
able to be put in place quickly because its non-invasive installation
design utilizes the foam’s backpressure to firmly hold the DSM in place
within the joint gap. The substrate is simply re-smoothed, cleaned and
prepared and the DSM System is then installed into the gap. This single
pass installation was ideal for the tall concrete walls which comprise
the sides of the lock.
EMSEAL also had to meet a quick engineering and production timetable to
work within the four week installation period. EMSEAL’s large manufacturing plant focused their output on quickly turning out the
sizable quantity of DSM. Because there were variations of widths within
the gaps throughout the Lock, each length was manufactured at a
predetermined width and labeled for specific locations to make the
installation move as quickly and correctly as possible.
The entire project proved to be a great success. The complete DSM order
was manufactured and delivered on time and the installation went quickly
enough to finish ahead of the Army Corps of Engineers’ schedule.
The Port Allen Lock project illustrates EMSEAL’s unique suitability and
popularity in large public works projects
Posted December 16, 2009
Products:
DSM
(CLICK
HERE)
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Answering the Challenge of
Watertight
Transitions
at Canadian Hospital
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Transitions in expansion joints are often a weakness of the best
engineering designs. When executed in the field they dramatically slow
the installation process and are often the focus of a failing waterseal.
The best solution is having factory-fabricated transitions built
into the expansion system before it arrives at the jobsite. This
approach to manufacturing is in place at the expanded construction
taking place at North York General Hospital in Toronto Canada.
The hospital's new additions included the construction of a large
parking structure to handle the growing patient and staff population.
The finished project had to be watertight while handling the movements
of a large concrete structure in the extreme thermal conditions found in
Toronto. Expansion gaps were engineered into the designs and EMSEAL's
Thermaflex product line of watertight membrane/nosing systems was
chosen as the expansion joint throughout the parking decks.
Over 1500 feet of
TCR-500,
TCR-400 and TCR-300 was specified and installed. Much
of this length required transitions and turns to address the unique
characteristics of this parking garage with columns, multiple decks and
intersecting walls, parapets and roofs. To maintain the integrity and
watertightness of the system, EMSEAL factory-fabricated the almost 100
transitions involved in the system. Deck to wall, wall to wall and deck
to deck changes in direction and plane were all built into the system at
EMSEAL's Westborough, MA factory.
Especially noteworthy are transitions where different widths of sealant
join together. At North York General Hospital the differing gap widths
demanded that north-south expansion gaps require TCR-500 and east-west
gaps require the narrower TCR-400 or TCR-300. Each turn and tee
necessitated joining materials of different widths--all successfully
completed in the EMSEAL factory. The final system was delivered as a
series of lengths of membranes with transitions prefabricated and ready
to be installed.
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Factory-fabricated tee transition
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Close-up of join at TCR-300 to TCR-500
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Reverse deck-to-wall vertical transition used at support column
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Posted November 2, 2009
Products:
THERMAFLEX
(CLICK
HERE)
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Fire-rated Expansion Joints Installed
at New Hampshire Federal Prison
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Berlin, NH-- EMSEAL’s
WFR2 and DFR2 2-hour fire-rated expansion joint seals have
been installed throughout the newly constructed BERLIN FEDERAL PRISON
in Berlin, NH.
As is common with prison construction, large panel concrete walls and
floors are built and assembled with expansion gaps which need to be
filled with a movement-capable expansion joint that must be fire-rated.
Typical installation of multiple materials to seal, bridge and fire-rate
joints is inefficient and often ineffective. Fire-blankets that require
to be installed from the underside of floors require utility lift
equipment for access. Wiring, plumbing and mechanical components often
prevent access to the mounting surfaces needed for the fire-blanket
flanges, and split-columns interrupt the run of the fire-blankets
causing a breach in the life-safety barrier.
The prison construction board whole-heartedly approved the choice of
both EMSHIELD
WFR2 and
DFR2 from EMSEAL. Installed entirely from above the floor slabs
it required no special access equipment. Because the joints when
accessed from above are unobstructed by the work of other trades, a
straight shot installation was possible and the material could be
installed continuously through the split columns thereby ensuring
continuity of the fire barrier.
WFR2 will handle the expansion movement of the interior concrete walls
and provide the 2-hour UL certified fire-rating that prisons demand. It
also provides a UL-certified watertight seal when watertightness is
needed such as in cleaning or wet exposure. The same holds true for the
trafficked floors with DFR2.
And, if watertight, airtight, fire-rated, and able to handle joint
movement are not enough, the EMSHIELD systems also feature a Sound
Transmission Class of 62 and an Outdoor Indoor Transmission Class of 52.
This means that interior and exterior noise that might otherwise have
got through the expansion joints will be blocked as effectively or
better than the concrete walls themselves.
In the end EMSHIELD proved to be the perfect expansion joint choice for
the construction of this prison.
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| WFR2
in wall
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DFR2 installed in floor |
Posted October 28, 2009
Products:
EMSHIELD WFR2
(CLICK HERE)
EMSHIELD DFR2
(CLICK HERE)
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