Water-Resistant Expansion Joint with Pre-Compressed Modular Foam
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing expansion joint systems for concrete and building structures often fail to adequately address the irregularities and environmental conditions, leading to premature failure and costly modifications or re-manufacturing due to difficulties in handling transitions and accommodating thermal and seismic movements effectively.
Innovation Solution
A water-resistant expansion joint system using open-celled foam infused with a water-based acrylic chemistry, coated with an elastomer, is pre-compressed and designed to transition between different planes, allowing for easy installation and minimizing on-site modifications, featuring sections that can accommodate various angles and transitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If expansion joint products follow the joint through obstructions by stitching, gluing, or welding, then the product can accommodate irregular building joints, but the homogeneous nature of the product is interrupted and transitions become difficult or impossible to prefabricate
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion joint system is divided into modular sections that can be prefabricated separately and then assembled on-site. Each section maintains the homogeneous foam structure while allowing for transitions around obstructions through standardized connection methods, eliminating the need for complex stitching, gluing, or welding operations during manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for preliminary prefabrication of expansion joint sections in a controlled manufacturing environment where dimensions and transitions can be precisely defined. The modular design enables these sections to be prepared in advance with predetermined transition configurations, reducing on-site modification requirements while maintaining adaptability to irregular joint paths.
2Adaptability or versatility
If job site modifications are made to facilitate product function, then the product can accommodate actual expansion joint conditions, but the installer may lack adequate tools or knowledge to modify the product correctly
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to be installed in a pre-compressed state during manufacturing, with all transitions and dimensional variations already defined. This eliminates the need for on-site modifications by installers, as the product arrives ready for direct installation into the expansion joint, ensuring consistent performance without relying on installer skill level.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion joint system is designed to self-accommodate to actual joint conditions through its pre-compressed modular sections that expand in-place. The system requires no active modification or adjustment by the installer, as the pre-fabricated sections naturally adapt to the joint geometry and conditions upon installation.
3Reliability
If product is returned to manufacturer for rework or scrapped and re-manufactured, then the product can be corrected, but both actions are costly and result in construction delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system is manufactured in a pre-compressed state with all transitions and dimensional variations already defined during fabrication. This preliminary preparation ensures that the product is ready for direct installation without requiring returns for rework or scrapping, eliminating the time loss associated with manufacturing iterations and ensuring first-time installation success.
4Ease of operation
If expansion joint system is pre-compressed and delivered ready for installation, then installation is simplified and waste is minimized, but the system must accommodate thermal and seismic movements while maintaining water resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses composite construction combining foam core material with water-resistant elastomer coatings or encapsulations. This composite structure provides both the mechanical flexibility needed for thermal and seismic movement accommodation and the water resistance required for exterior applications, while the pre-compressed modular design maintains installation simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the compressibility and expandability of the foam material, transitioning from a pre-compressed delivery state to an expanded installation state. This parameter change allows the system to maintain water resistance during compression for installation while automatically expanding to accommodate thermal and seismic movements, preserving the water-resistant barrier throughout the movement cycle.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively accommodates thermal and seismic movements while maintaining water resistance, reducing the need for complex on-site modifications and minimizing waste, thus enhancing construction efficiency and reducing costs by allowing for precise pre-fabrication and easy installation.
Implementation Method 1
the expansion joint system should also, to some degree, resist the effects of the external environment conditions... accommodate movements due to thermal and/or seismic conditions
Implementation Method 2
A layer of an elastomer is disposed on the open celled foam... the elastomer imparting a substantially waterproof property to the foam
Data Source
AI summary
A water resistant expansion joint system includes foam, which has been formed into a desired shape by at least one of stamping, cutting, molding and die-cutting; and a layer of an elastomer disposed on the foam. The layer of the elastomer facilitates compression of the water resistant expansion joint system when installed between substrates. The desired shape of the foam includes an angle, and the water resistant expansion joint system is angled around a corner and accommodates thermal and seismic movement in the system by expanding and contracting, and creates a waterproof seal around the corner upon expansion of the foam between the substrates.