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Waterstops: Choose Them Wisely and Install Them With Care
Waterstops: Choose Them Wisely and Install Them With Care
BY FRANK A. RANDALL, JR. what size and which shape to use in a given situation.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER The catalogs give only vague advice on the size and
shape to use. Besides, it is often difficult to determine
how much movement will occur at a joint. So it is im-
portant for all involved to do their part. Whoever speci-
Installation
There are several important requirements for achiev-
ing watertightness:
Position the waterstop correctly. The waterstop must
be located accurately and possibly braced or lashed
firmly to prevent movement during placing of concrete.
The center bulb or loop that accommodates joint move-
ment must be placed directly at the joint; otherwise its
value will be lost.
The formwork must be tight-fitting. It must not allow
a leakage path for the cement mortar, leakage which
could lead to honeycombing. A joint is always the most
vulnerable point of a structure.
The waterstop must be clean. If it is dirty or greasy, it will not seal out water. Dirt and splattered concrete must
be cleaned from the ribs and corrugations prior to plac-
ing concrete in each side of the joint.
Concrete must be carefully consolidated. This is very
important; the efficiency depends on good compaction
of the concrete. The waterstop must be embedded in
concrete of sufficient quality to hold it in place when
movement occurs at the joint. Waterstops are meant to
provide a barrier across construction, contraction and
expansion joints. They are not intended as a remedy for
porous concrete. Intimate contact with the concrete is
essential over the entire surface of the waterstop; en-
trapped air and honeycombing near the joint will nulli-
fy its value.
Splices must be correctly made. A poor splice would be
a weak link in the water barrier. Splices should be avoid-
ed if possible. Fortunately this is made easy to plan be- that are lost during splicing. The continuity of the ribs is
cause waterstops come in rolls 50 to 125 feet long. Splic- most apt to be lost where corners and intersections are
ing is a subject that merits considerable discussion. made. For this reason it is especially economical to order
p re f a b ricated intersections and corners. These are
Splicing procedures stronger than intersections made in the field and better
Rubber waterstops can be lap-spliced cold. The ends able to withstand water pressure and seepage. In any
are overlapped about 3 inches with flat surfaces pressed
together. Coatings of rubber cement and uncured gum
rubber are placed on the surfaces that will be in contact
and the pieces are held together by clamping between
flat stainless steel plates. Cold lap splices are relatively
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