None.
Not Applicable.
The present disclosure relates generally systems to foam-based expansion joint seals for use in angular expansion joint segments. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to providing a foam-based expansion joint seal composed of a unitary elongated body which incorporates a living hinge, a hinge enclosure for containment of increased adhesive and to reduce stress concentrations, and adhesively joined surfaces.
Building construction requires provision accommodating material responses to temperature fluctuations while providing a water-tight exterior. Construction panels come in many different sizes and shapes and may be used for various purposes, including roadways, sideways, tunnels and other pre-cast structures. To provide a seal against environmental contaminants, expansion joint seals have been developed.
Among expansion joint seals are foam-based seals which include a foam body with adhesive on one or more side faces and a water-resistant coating on the exposed face. These foam-based expansion joint seals are compressed on site, or may be provided in a compressed form, are worked into the expansion joint to so the top of the expansion joint seal is at or below the top of adjacent substrates, and are permitted to expand to adhere to the exposed sides of adjacent substrates. These foam-based expansion joint seals are generally provided in common lengths and cut or spliced on site to fit the length of the applicable expansion joint. These foam-based expansion joint seals can be fitted to straight expansion joints and to those expansion joints with gentle changes in direction. To maintain position, these foam-based expansion joint seals are compressed within the joint seal, often at one-half to one-fifth its original width. Because densities of the foam, prior to compression for use in the joint and/or for delivery to the job site, may range from 10 to 200 kg/m3, resulting in an installed density ranging from 20 to 1000 kg/m3.
To accommodate the immediate change in direction occasioned by a corner, it has long been known to create a transition in the field. These have generally been characterized as cross transitions, corner transitions, outside corner transition and inside corner transitions. These field-assembled transitions are generally created by abutting a face of a first foam-based expansion joint seal with a face of a second foam-based expansion joint seal. Cross transitions and corner transitions have been constructed by abutting an end face of the first foam-based expansion joint seal against the side face of the second foam-based expansion joint seal and adhering the two faces together. Other corner transitions have been created by mitering the ends of two foam-based expansion joint seals to provide equally-angled elongated end faces and adhering the two exposed faces to one another so each face aligns with the interior and exterior vertices of the corner. Inside corner transitions have been created by removing a triangular section from the face of a first foam-based expansion joint seal between the interior face of a first side of the corner which aligns with the interior face of the second side of the corner and providing an equal shape at the end of the second foam-based expansion joint seal. The construction of a transition in the field consumes time and may frustrate scheduling issues in the event the construction is less-than-perfect. These efforts may be complicated when a succession of transitions are positioned in rapid succession, such as stair treads, auditorium, and stadiums. Because these transitions feature one face adhered to another, the seam is a point of failure when the surfaces forming the expansion joint corner expand or contract differently and introduce shear forces at the joint face. The forces acting on the joint seal are increased when the joint seal must also provide support in a vertical orientation, such as wall-to-ceiling. These forces may be reduced with the joint seal is provided in a horizontal orientation, such as floor-to-floor, where the joint seal is not required to support a downward-hanging leg. These shear forces in a mitered joint are a well-known cause of failure, particularly as the substrates which bound a corner may move unequally, causing the two legs to fight against one another during unequal movement. This problem of unequal forces may be exacerbated when the foam includes any additives which are unequally distributed. In all such situations, any failure of adhesive between the two faces propagates through the joint, weakening the joint and ultimately resulting in complete failure.
Factory-created foam-based expansion joint seal transitions have created in response to the effort needed for field assembly. These have included corner transitions intended for horizontal-to-vertical transitions where end of the vertically-oriented section may include an angled and flared end to direct liquids and solids away from the expansion joint system. These flared ends, however, may be undesirable and not parallel the adjacent substrates. Other vertical-to-horizontal corner transitions have included a first piece of foam cut and bent to open that cut to a 90° angle, an insert piece of foam provided in the opening, and an elastomer spanning the surfaces of the first piece of foam and the insert piece to maintain the insert in position. These however, introduce a completely additional body which must be maintained in position by elastomer. Corner transitions have also been formed by providing the two legs at a desired relationship by one or more of stamping, cutting, molding and die-cutting. While such construction provides uniform rates of expansion in all directions and at the corner itself, construction of these can be time consuming or wasteful as special forms are needed for molding and because stamping, cutting or die cutting results in foam pieces of undesirably short lengths which may be unusable waste.
It would therefore be beneficial to provide a corner transition which does not suffer from these impediments.
The present disclosure therefore meets the above needs and overcomes one or more deficiencies in the prior art.
The present disclosure provides an expansion joint seal adapted to fit about a corner of at least 1 degree and not more than 179 degrees which includes a unitary elongated body of compressible foam and an adhesive where the elongated body has a body first section, a body living hinge section, and a body second section, the body first section having a body first section first side and a body first section second side, the body second section having a body second section first side and a body second section second side, the body living hinge section having a body living hinge exterior side from the body first section second side to the body second section second side, the body having a body width from the body first section first side to the body first section second side at the body first section, the body living hinge section intermediate the body first section and the body second section, the body living hinge section having a body living hinge, the body living hinge having a hinge base, a hinge first surface, and a hinge second surface, the hinge base having a hinge base width, the hinge first surface having a first surface profile, the hinge second surface having a second surface profile complementary to the first surface profile, the body living hinge having a hinge centerline bisecting the hinge base and perpendicular to the hinge base, the hinge base distant the body living hinge exterior side along the hinge centerline not more than ten percent of the body width, the hinge first surface and the hinge second surface extending symmetrically to the hinge centerline from the hinge base, the hinge first surface extending from the hinge base to the body first section first side of the body first section, and the hinge second surface extending from the hinge base to the body second section body first side, where the adhesive is adhered to the hinge base and to the hinge first surface adjacent the hinge base.
Additional aspects, advantages, and embodiments of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the various embodiments and related drawings.
So that the manner in which the described features, advantages, and objects of the disclosure, as well as others which will become apparent, are attained and can be understood in detail; more particular description of the disclosure briefly summarized above may be had by referring to the embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the drawings, which drawings form a part of this specification. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical preferred embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope as the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
In the drawings:
The present disclosure provides a corner transition for use inangular expansion joint segments using a unitary elongated body which incorporates a living hinge, a hinge enclosure for containment of increased adhesive and to reduce stress concentrations, and adhesively-joined surfaces and therefore avoids the delamination occurring from shearing forces, the need for an elastomer to maintain transition components in relation to one another and which includes functions without providing uniform expansion forces throughout, while reducing waste and avoiding performance failures caused by unequally distributed additives and the resulting unequal densities of the modified foam.
Referring to
The body first section 104 may have a body first longitudinal axis 140 and the body second section 108 may have a body second longitudinal axis 142.
The unitary elongated body 102 is a single piece of a compressible foam. Preferably, the unitary elongated body 102 is composed of an open-celled foam, which may be a polyurethane. The unitary elongated body 102, while of a homogeneous composition of compressible foam, may include fillers, fire retardants, water retardants, insect-repelling material, and other additives, introduced by methods known in the art such as impregnation and infusion. The additive may be introduced to different extents along the unitary elongated body 102, altering the localized properties of portions of the expansion joint seal 100. The body living hinge section 106 may include a lower density of additive, which may result in a greater flexibility and higher expansion rate than the same for the body first section 104 and the body second section 108. After installation, the unitary elongated body 102 of compressible foam is compressed one-fifth to one-half of the body width 114, so the unitary elongated body 102 is a single piece of a compressible foam must be compressible to at least one-fifth of the body width 114.
The unitary elongated body 102 may have a first rate of expansion in the body first section 104 from the body first section first side 110 and the body first section second side 112, the first rate of expansion in the body second section 108 from the body second section first side 130 and a body second section second side 136, and a second rate of expansion in the body living hinge 120 from the hinge base 122 to the body living hinge exterior side 138, the first rate of expansion and the second rate of expansion being unequal, the expansion joint seal not having a uniform rate of expansion and contraction. The second rate of expansion may be less than the first rate of expansion.
The body first section 104 has a body first section first side 110 and a body first section second side 112. The body 102 has a body width 114 from the body first section first side 110 to the body first section second side 112 at the body first section 104.
The body second section 108 has a body second section first side 130 and a body second section second side 136. The body second section 108 has a body second section width 144 from the body second section first side 130 to the body second section second side 136. The body second section width 144 may be equal to or less than the body width 114 to accommodate the two expansion joints meeting at a corner.
Referring to
The body second section 108 may be a second rectangular prism, which may be sized equal to the first rectangular prism, but may include modifications for ease of use, such as chamfered surface 508 adjacent its body second section bottom 510 and side channels 512 in one or both of the body second section first side 130 and the body second section second side 136.
Referring again to
Referring to
Referring again to
The body living hinge 120 has a hinge centerline 116 which bisects the hinge base 122 and is perpendicular to the hinge base 122. The hinge base 122 is distant the body living hinge exterior side 138 along the hinge centerline 116 not more than ten percent of the body width 114. The resulting body living hinge 120 is sufficiently thin to permit the bending into position and sufficiently thick to provide the hinge base 122 which, together with an adhesive 132, avoids the shearing failure of the miter joints known in the prior art. The hinge first surface 126 and the hinge second surface 128 extend symmetrically to the hinge centerline 116 from the hinge base 122. The hinge first surface 126 extends from the hinge base 122 to the body first section first side 110 of the body first section 104 while the hinge second surface 128 extending from the hinge base 122 to the body second section body first side 130.
Where the expansion joint seal 100 is used for a corner of two expansion joints having equal widths, the hinge centerline 116 will be perpendicular to the body living hinge exterior side 138 and the body first longitudinal axis 140 prior to the expansion joint seal 100 being bent for use. In such a case, after bending, the hinge centerline 116 will be at equal angles to each of the body first longitudinal axis 140 and the body second longitudinal axis 142. Likewise, in such circumstance, the hinge first surface 126 has a hinge first surface length 144 equal to the hinge second surface length 146 of the hinge second surface 128.
Referring to
Referring to
As a result of the body living hinge exterior side 138 being put into tension, the expansion rate of the body 102 is reduced through the body living hinge section, resulting in non-uniform expansion of the expansion joint seal 100 and a non-uniform force applied by the expansion joint seal 100 to the substrates after installation. Because the hinge base 122 provides a continuous surface in opposition to the hinge first surface 126 and the hinge second surface 128, a stress concentration is avoided and shear movement eliminated, prolonging the life and functionality of the expansion joint seal 100.
An adhesive 132 is provided on the hinge base 122 and to the hinge first surface 126 adjacent the hinge base 122. The adhesive 132 may also be provided on the hinge second surface 128. The adhesive 132 may be provided in such quantities that some portion may be expelled from the expansion joint seal 100 after being bent into position to ensure a sufficient amount within the expansion joint seal 100 and to provide a further seal external the expansion joint seal 100 where a portion of the adhesive 132 is expelled. The adhesive 132 may be selected from known compounds, including glues, elastomers, cyanoacrylates, and chemical bonding agent, which cause the two surfaces to adhere together or creates a chemical bond. The hinge first surface 126, the body living hinge section 106, the hinge second surface 128, and the adhesive 132 form a chemical and mechanical bond. To increase the bonds and further reduce the potential for shear failure, the adhesive 132 may be penetrated into the body of compressible foam 102 at the hinge base 122 and the hinge first surface 126. The resulting accumulation of adhesive atop the hinge base 122 provides resistance to the stress applied to the joint of the hinge first surface 126 to the hinge second surface 128.
The first body section 104, the body living hinge section, and the body second section be constructed of a continuous, non-spliced, homogenous composition of compressible foam so that the expansion joint seal 100 provides a non-continuous transition around a corner as a result of the connection formed by the body first section 104, the body living hinge section 106, and the body second section 108 being adhered together at the hinge first surface 126 and the hinge second surface 128.
Referring to
The foregoing disclosure and description is illustrative and explanatory thereof. Various changes in the details of the illustrated construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention. The present invention should only be limited by the following claims and their legal equivalents.
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