BRIDGE JOINT SEALING-ITS MATERIALS AND MECHANICAL PROBLEMS

AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH FOR MATERIALS TO SEAL JOINTS IN STRUCTURES WAS UNDERTAKEN IN 1952. MATERIALS INVESTIGATED INCLUDED HOT POURED OR EXTRUDED RUBBERIZED ASPHALT, SILICONE RUBBERS, LIQUID NEOPRENE, ASPHALT EMULSION, URETHANE, LATEX AND A NONMELTABLE MASTIC. MATERIALS FORMULATED WITH LIQUID POLYSULFIDE POLYMERS APPEARED TO HAVE THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVELY SEALING JOINTS IN STRUCTURES. SHORE A HARDNESS LIMITS WERE DERIVED FROM DETERMINING A WORKABLE MATERIAL AT -20 F. THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MATERIAL REQUIRED SHOULD BE AS FOLLOWS' /1/ SHORE A DUROMETER AT 77 F OF 10-15, /2/ NOT FLOW AT HIGH TEMPERATURES, /3/ RETAIN FLEXIBILITY AND HAVE EXTENSIBILITY AT MINUS 20 F. OF AT LEAST 100 PERCENT, /4/ BE CAPABLE OF EFFECTING CHEMICAL OR MECHANICAL BOND AT A TEMPERATURE OF APPROXIMATELY 40 F, /5/ CURE RAPIDLY, AND /6/ BE THIXOTROPIC AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND INVASION OF FOREIGN PARTICLES. FIELD TEST INSTALLATIONS INDICATED A DEFINITE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DEPTH AND WIDTH OF MATERIAL PLACED. IN STRUCTURE WHERE A DEPTH OF MATERIAL WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF THE WIDTH OF THE JOINT OPENING, THE SEALANT PERFORMED MUCH MORE SATISFACTORILY THAN WHEN THE DEPTH OF MATERIAL EQUALED OR EXCEEDED ITS WIDTH. SOME REASONS FOR FAILURE OF MATERIALS ARE OUTLINED, THE AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY WITH REGARD TO OBTAINING PROPERLY SEALED JOINTS ARE LISTED. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1965/80/80-003.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Britton, H B
• Publication Date: 1965

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 36-41
• Monograph Title: Joints and sealants - a symposium and other papers
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 80
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Chemical bond; Concrete curing; Depth; Durability; Elastomer modified asphalt; Emulsified asphalt; Failure; Field tests; Flexibility; Flow; Joint sealers; Joint sealing; Latex; Liquids; Mastic asphalt; Mechanics; Neoprene; Polymers; Sealing compounds; Silicones; Structures; Temperature; Thixotropy; Urethane; Width
• Old TRIS Terms: Extending; Mastics
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215805
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Dec 12 1994 12:00AM