From Construction Databook
The category sealants spans a wide range of construction activities and applications from preventing water and moisture from infiltrating into below-grade structures to maintaining the watertight integrity of the entire superstructure.
This section deals primarily with caulking and sealant compounds: selection and application, and, secondarily, curtain wall and masonry sealants.
10.0.0 Sealants as Joint-Filling Compounds
These materials generally fall into one of three categories:
-
Dynamic joints Joints that exhibit changes due to movement from expansion, contraction, isolation and loadings.
-
Static joints Joints that exhibit little or no movement, such as masonry mortar joints. However, no joint in a building is truly static because all materials exhibit some movement from temperature changes and load factors.
-
Butt joints Joints that have opposing faces that contract and expand and place a sealant in compression, tension, and can also exhibit shear from extreme loading forces or seismic events.
10.1.0 Proper Application of Sealants
The key to proper application of any sealant begins with proper surface preparation, which can vary considerably from one material to another. Most manufacturers go to great lengths to provide detailed surface preparation and application procedures, which are often ignored by the applicator, resulting in either poor performance or outright failure.
The following general guidelines are to be augmented by the manufacturer s instructions for the sealant and surface selected:
-
Concrete and masonry Concrete can have the most variable surface conditions of any product because of variations in curing conditions, moisture content, finishing techniques, additives, hardeners, curing compounds, and...
Products & Services
Topics of Interest
Acoustics is the science of sound and vibration. The control of sound and vibration transmission within a structure involves architectural design and structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering...
14.1 Introduction This chapter will review the necessary steps that must be taken to provide the proper sealing system for specific applications. Whereas the previous chapter gave descriptions of...
19.1 Introduction The computer age has made significant and somewhat unexpected impacts on the adhesives and sealants industries in recent years. Computers and analytical programs have, of course,...
3.1 Introduction The strength of an adhesive or sealant joint in the absence of outside or environmental factors is determined by the mechanical properties of the materials comprising the joint, the...
12.1 Introduction Sealants are like adhesives in many ways. In fact, they are often considered together because many formulations can perform either as an adhesive or as a sealant. Usually, a...
