The Most Tested Expansion Joints in the Industry

Retrofit Expansion Joint Installation Procedure For Polycrete Systems:

The included pictorial illustrations show a step-by-step rehabilitation of the expansion joint system on a typical parking garage. There are many special considerations unique to each structure, such as post tension cable ends, depth of concrete overlay, pre-stress concrete and unsound deteriorated concrete on poured in place slabs. Each specific situation requires individual consideration. These illustrations do not address each specific situation, but rather give you a general overview of the process.

Step One:

In the first illustration, we show the removal of the old expansion joint system and the creation of the receiver. Make multiple longitudinal saw cuts into the deck. The depth of the saw cuts are approximately 3/4” to 7/8”, the width of each cut is approximately 1”. The multiple cuts are made to accommodate our required recess block-out of 3/4” deep by 3-1/2”. This depth and width assures full coverage of the wings of the seal and provides a firm anchor position at the back corner of the recess.

After the saw cuts are completed, removal of the concrete is simplified with the use of an air or electric impact chisel. The picture below in FIGURE 1 shows this process under way.

In FIGURE 2 , the recess has been sufficiently saw cut to the desired dimensions. All irregularities in the recess and joint stem opening are patched using a suitable patching material. Suitable material is defined as a 100% solids epoxy loaded with sand or Polycrete elastomeric concrete mixes.

The base of the block-out recess must be flat and level across from side to side. Grinding or chipping must correct slab deviation of more than 1/8”. After patching material has fully cured, the entire surface of the recess is to be sandblasted. The sandblasting process removes all laitance and foreign materials from the surface of the concrete in the recess. It also provides the elastomeric concrete with an aggressive anchor profile, which enhances the bond line. It should be noted that there is NO SUBSTITUTE for this process, and other methods have been tried unsuccessfully.

Step Two: [Installation of the CR-Series Sealing Gland]

Remove the seal from the shipping container. Unroll the entire length in a straight line on the deck surface. Lay the seal in a safe area somewhere on the deck in the sunlight. The heat from the sun will relax any folds in the seal caused by the roll up during shipping. Clean the entire length of the seal using a solvent soaked rag. Place the seal into the block-out on its side, as shown in FIGURE 3. A crew of two men can effectively place the seal into the joint opening as shown in FIGURE 4. One man holds the opposite edge of the seal wing down in contact with recess edge while another man pushes the seal into place with an in and down motion.

Step Three: [Aluminum Extruded Clamp Placement]

EMS is the only manufacturer in the market today that provides the aluminum edge forming devices. These devices create a radius edge on the elastomeric concrete where wheel traffic strikes the edge of the elastomeric header material. All other manufacturers allow their semi flowable material the freedom to leach into the chambers on top of the seal, which offers an unsightly presentation of their product and will result in their product eventually cracking away, leaving craters in the top edge of the header material.

Additionally, the aluminum clamps, naturally form a dike to contain the material and assure the proper depth of elastomeric material at the seal edges. The 3/4” coverage over the wings to the edge of the seal eliminates the chance of too thin a material placement, resulting in the appearance of the all too familiar edge cracking on other similar products. An EMS expansion joint system has a clean, straight-line appearance when completed.

• The procedure for clamp placement is as follows:

• Sizing of the joint stem opening. Measurements are taken along the opening to arrive at an average width.

• The aluminum clamps must be sprayed with the supplied mold release agent. Without this mold release spray application, the CLAMPS WILL NOT COME OUT WITHOUT DAMAGING THE SYSTEM!

• Wooden spacers are needed along the topside of the clamping system. They are to be placed on each side of the bolt. This assures parallel closure of the rails and avoids bending the rail when tightening the bolts.

• To determine the width of the wood block spacers, simply subtract 1” from the joint stem opening dimension, i.e. 2-1/2” joint opening, minus 1” = 1-1/2” wide wood blocks. The picture below in FIGURE 5 shows the aluminum clamping devices in place with the wooden spacers setting the position of the seal.

The air temperature should be a minimum of 45F and a maximum of 90F. during the installation and curing process. The final photo, FIGURE 7, is the finished product. A clean-lined end result of proper installation techniques and functional expansion joint system is the quality product.