Joint seal

Abstract

An elongated joint seal for sealing a gap between two surfaces comprising a trunk and at least two resilient members extending one to each side of the trunk. The fingers in use contacting the surfaces of the gap, the trunk being substantially rigid to enable insertion of the seal into the gap.

Description

[0001]The present invention relates to a joint seal for sealing a gap between two surfaces and a method for sealing a gap between two surfaces using a joint seal.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]There are many techniques and products available for sealing gaps between structures such as concrete tilt slabs or slab flooring. One method is the traditional technique of corking joints which generally includes inserting a foam backing rod into a gap or expansion gap, and retaining and sealing the backing rod in the gap by using a corking compound injected into the gap using an injection gun. The corking compound used is typically a polymer that sets in position and is applied across the gap to adhere to the opposing wall surfaces of the gap.[0003]The drawbacks with this technique is that the corking compound / foam backing rod combination allow limited joint movement and over the years the polymer corking compound hardens and shrinks which leads to cracking and failure. A joint seal of thi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides an elongated joint seal for sealing gaps between two surfaces. The seal has a trunk and at least two resilient members extending on either side of the trunk. The trunk is typically made of a seal body with a rigid spine. The seal can be longitudinally folded in half and is designed to fold along a longitudinal line as it is driven into the gap, with the members contacting the surfaces on either side of the gap. The seal can be used in a method where it is aligned along the gap, driven into the gap by a spine, and the members contact the surfaces on either side of the gap. The seal can be provided in a continuous length or cut to desired length. The spine material can include an intumescent as a fire retardant. The joint seal can be co-extruded or cross-head extruded."

Problems solved by technology

The drawbacks with this technique is that the corking compound / foam backing rod combination allow limited joint movement and over the years the polymer corking compound hardens and shrinks which leads to cracking and failure.

Furthermore, this process is expensive when applied to large gaps because a greater volume of corking compound and foam backing rod is required.

Difficulty is also encountered in using this method on large vertical gaps because the corking compound can not be applied in one application due to sagging under gravity of the un-set corking compound.

This technique can also be untidy, toxic, flammable and cleaning after use generally requires solvents that are known to be carcinogenic.

This technique also makes it difficult to detect faults and flaws in installation and to determine whether the correct volume and depth of corking compound has been achieved.

This often results in a difficult and lengthy installation process that is exacerbated if the gap walls are not smooth, parallel and generally uniform along the wall lengths.

The drawbacks with all these known techniques is that they are difficult, and in some cases almost impossible, to install in a plane that is other than horizontal.

Many sealing systems are cumbersome to install vertically or overhead and / or may require an installation force that can not be achieved in a vertical plane or directed upwardly.

Many seals have limited working movement hence limited gap size variations.

In transporting and handling, known seals are heavy, bulky, awkward and expensive to freight.

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