U.S. patent application number 10/670815 was filed with the patent office on 2005-03-31 for expansion joint system.
Invention is credited to Mincemoyer, Brian, Moulton, Paul.
Application Number | 20050066600 10/670815 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34376003 |
Filed Date | 2005-03-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050066600 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moulton, Paul ; et
al. |
March 31, 2005 |
Expansion joint system
Abstract
A compression seal for concrete expansion joints is extruded as
a one-piece unit from rubber-like material. The compression seal
includes a compressible sealing portion and a pair of load-bearing
wings that extend laterally from the compressible sealing portion.
The one-piece design facilitates easy installation of the
compression seal in an expansion joint. In use, the compressible
sealing portion is inserted the expansion joint. Simple zipper-like
motion may be used to press fit the compressible portion into the
expansion joint. The lateral load-bearing wings are bonded to
concrete surfaces adjoining the expansion joint to hold the
compressible sealing portion in place.
Inventors: |
Moulton, Paul;
(Williamsport, PA) ; Mincemoyer, Brian; (Milton,
PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BAKER & BOTTS
30 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA
NEW YORK
NY
10112
|
Family ID: |
34376003 |
Appl. No.: |
10/670815 |
Filed: |
September 25, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/393 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E01D 19/06 20130101;
E04B 1/6813 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/393 |
International
Class: |
E04F 015/14 |
Claims
1. A compression seal for an expansion joint, comprising: a
compressible sealing portion having elastic membranes; and at least
a lateral wing extending from the compressible sealing portion,
wherein the lateral wing has a thickness that is larger than a
thickness of the elastic membranes, and wherein the compressible
sealing portion and the lateral wing form structurally integrated
parts of a one-piece extruded material.
2. The compression seal of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the
lateral wing is at least about one half of an inch.
3. The compression seal of claim 1, wherein the extruded material
comprises ethylene propylene terpolymers.
4. The compression seal of claim 1, wherein the extruded material
comprises EPDM rubber.
5. The compression seal of claim 1, wherein the compressible
sealing portion comprises longitudinal tubes.
6. The compression seal of claim 1, wherein the compressible
sealing portion comprises an elastic accordion-like membrane
structure.
7. The compression seal of claim 1, wherein the lateral wing
comprises longitudinal channels.
8. The compression seal of claim 1, wherein the lateral wing
comprises grooved surfaces.
9. The compression seal of claim 1 wherein the lateral wing is
hinged from the compressible sealing portion.
10. The compression seal of claim 1, wherein cross sections of the
compression seal along its length have substantially the same
structural configuration.
11. An expansion joint system for use in a concrete structure, the
system comprising: an expansion joint spacing between adjacent
concrete elements of the concrete structure; a one-piece
compression seal having a compressible sealing portion made of
elastic membranes and at least a lateral load-bearing wing
extending from the compressible sealing portion, wherein the
lateral load-bearing wing has a thickness that is larger than a
thickness of the elastic membranes; and a blockout region disposed
in the adjacent concrete elements, wherein the blockout region is
adapted to receive the lateral load-bearing wing, wherein the
compressible sealing portion is inserted in the expansion joint
spacing and wherein a surface of the lateral load-bearing wing is
bonded to a surface of the blockout region.
12. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the depth of
the blockout region is about the same as or slightly greater than
the thickness of the lateral load-bearing wing.
13. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the thickness
of the lateral load-bearing wing is at least about one half of an
inch.
14. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the surface of
the lateral load-bearing wing is bonded to the surface of the
blockout region by adhesives.
15. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the surface of
the lateral load-bearing wing is bonded to the surface of the
blockout region by masonry anchoring bolts.
16. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the surface of
the lateral load-bearing wing bonded to the surface of the blockout
region comprises a plurality of grooves.
17. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the one-piece
compression seal comprises extruded ethylene propylene
terpolymers.
18. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the one-piece
compression seal comprises extruded EPDM rubber.
19. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the
compressible sealing portion comprises longitudinal tubes.
20. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the
compressible sealing portion comprises an elastic accordion-like
membrane structure.
21. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the lateral
wing comprises longitudinal channels.
22. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the lateral
wing is hinged from the compressible sealing portion.
23. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein cross sections
of the compression seal along its length have substantially the
same structural configuration.
24. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the adjacent
concrete elements comprise a floor slab and a vertical wall,
wherein the compressible sealing portion comprises a substantially
vertical sidewall, and wherein the sidewall is bonded to a surface
of the vertical wall.
25. The expansion joint system of claim 11, wherein the adjacent
concrete elements comprise stepped concrete slabs having a
horizontal step portion and a vertical riser portions, and wherein
the one-piece compression seal comprises a horizontal section
bridging the horizontal step portions and a vertical section
bridging the vertical riser portions, and wherein the lateral
load-bearing wing is discontinuous by a cut between horizontal
section and the vertical section.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to structural
expansion joints and more particularly to expansion joints between
structural members such as concrete slabs and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Expansion joints are required in most concrete construction.
Concrete undergoes physical changes in length, width, height,
shape, and volume of its mass in response to changes in the
temperature or the mechanical conditions surrounding it. Grooves or
expansion joints are placed in a concrete structure to physically
subdivide the structure into smaller structural elements. The
expansion joints accommodate the compressional forces that are
transmitted from abutting structural elements during movement
caused by the physical changes in the concrete. Suitably designed
expansion joints can preserve the structural integrity and
serviceability of the concrete structure. The expansion joints may
be covered or filled with flexible sealing material according to
the use of the concrete structure. For example, in common parking
structures, parking decks are made of concrete slabs. The concrete
slabs are separated by expansion joints, which accommodate
expanding or contracting motion of the concrete slabs relative to
each other due to weather, traffic loads or seismic activity.
Watertight rubber or rubber-like seals are installed in the
expansion joints to provide, for example, a continuous driving
surface on the parking deck.
[0003] A conventional type of expansion joint seal in use is the
so-called bond-in compression seal. This type of seal, which is
usually made of thin membranes of rubber-like material, is
installed by slipping the seal in a state of compression between
the concrete slabs. When the concrete slabs expand, the seal
contracts in further compression. Conversely, when the concrete
slabs contract, the seal expands in tension. Unfortunately, this
often results in seal failure (e.g., by dislodgment) due to the
loss of compression. In attempts to minimize such failure, one or
more different techniques or methods have been used to bond or
attach the rubber seal more securely to the adjoining concrete
slabs. In one such method the rubber-like seal is provided with
thin lateral wings or flaps. These thin lateral wings or flaps are
bonded to cutout or blockout areas in the concrete. The blockout
areas may extend along the length of the edges of adjoining
concrete slabs. Exposed thin lateral wings or flaps are not
designed withstand heavy loads or other wear and tear in use.
Therefore, the thin lateral wings or flaps are covered by other
protective structures. For example, a resin (e.g., a two-part
elastomeric concrete (EC)) may be used to bond the lateral seal
wings to the blockout surfaces and to fill in the blockout area
above the lateral seal wings. Alternatively, the thin lateral seal
wings are secured in position under preformed molded rubber blocks
that are bolted to the blockout surfaces using masonry anchor
bolts. These conventional methods for holding the expansion joint
seals in place are not always satisfactory. For example, use of
resins such as elastomeric concrete can be labor intensive in
addition to being environmentally hazardous. Drilling holes in
precast concrete to place masonry anchor bolts for securing the
preformed blocks may undesirably weaken or otherwise damage the
concrete structures. For example, the drilling of holes may
undesirably interfere with steel cables that are commonly placed in
the concrete, for example, for tensioning parking decks.
[0004] Further in these methods, the nose portions at which the
thin lateral seal wings connect to the main seal body (e.g., at the
corner of the expansion joint) are still exposed and vulnerable. In
some common sealing arrangements, multiple piece structures (e.g.,
including cover plates and sliding plates) are used to cover the
expansion joints to protect the nose portions. However, the
installation of multiple piece structures is undesirably
complicated.
[0005] Consideration is now being given to ways of improving the
characteristics of compression seals installed in concrete
expansion joints. In particular, attention is directed to improving
the quality and durability of compression seals used in expansion
joints, for example, in parking deck structures that are subject to
pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic. Attention is also directed to
simplifying compression seal installation processes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In accordance with the present invention a one-piece
watertight compression seal is provided for sealing expansion
joints between separate structural elements of a building. The
compression seals may be used, for example, in concrete parking
deck structures. The compression seals are designed to withstand
repeated automobile wheel impacts or other heavy loads.
[0007] The compression seal has a unitary design in which a
compressible sealing portion and a pair of loading-bearing wings
are structurally integrated. The compression seal is inherently
watertight. The compressible sealing portion, which is designed for
placement or insertion in an expansion joint, has a generally
rectangular cross-section. The load-bearing wings extend laterally
from the compressible sealing portion. The load-bearing wings are
designed to have sufficient elasticity and strength so that they
can be used with exposed upper surfaces without the need for
protective covers or the like. The design of the compression seal
advantageously simplifies its installation in an expansion joint.
For installation of the compression seal, the compressible portion
may be lightly press fit into the expansion joint. The lateral
loading-bearing wings are glued or bonded to the surfaces of the
structural elements adjoining the expansion joint, to hold the
inserted compressible sealing portion in place. By design, the
concrete-contacting lower surfaces of the load bearing wings may be
provided with longitudinal grooves that encourage gripping or
adhesion. The exposed upper surfaces of the load-bearing wings may
be corrugated, for example, to provide traction for pedestrian or
vehicular traffic.
[0008] The compressible sealing portion has an elastic
accordion-like membrane structure. The membrane thickness are
selected to provide the accordion-like structure with suitable
elasticity to respond to changes in the expansion joint width. In
contrast, the thicknesses of the lateral load-bearing wings are
selected to provide them with sufficient mass to elastically absorb
heavy loads or other wear and tear in use. For this purpose, the
vertical thicknesses of the load bearing wings by design may be
several times thicker than the thickness of the membranes of the
elastic accordion-like structure. Further, the lateral load-bearing
wings are connected to the compressible sealing portion at nose
portions that are also sufficiently massive and strong to withstand
repeated high force impacts in use. The lateral load-bearing wings
can be solid but may include one or more channels or openings
running along the length of the compression seal. These openings
may be used to house splice joint connectors when splicing shorter
lengths of the compression seal together.
[0009] The compression seal can be made by extruding suitable
elastic material, for example, ethylene propylene terpolymers
including those that are commonly known as EPDM rubber. The tubular
design of the compression seal facilitates extrusion of continuous
lengths of the compression seal through an extrusion die. Lengths
of the compression seal can be cut, notched, and folded as needed
for different application geometries.
[0010] Further features of the invention, its nature and various
advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and
the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a compression seal
installed in an expansion joint of nominal width between two
concrete floor slabs, in accordance with the principles of the
present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the installed
compression seal of FIG. 1 under compression when the expansion
joint is at about 50% its nominal width, in accordance with the
principles of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the installed
compression seal of FIG. 1 under tension when the expansion joint
is at about 50% greater than its nominal width, in accordance with
the principles of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a compression seal
similar to that of FIG. 1 installed in an expansion joint between a
floor slab and a wall structure, in accordance with the principles
of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a compression seal,
which is similar to that of FIG. 4 but which has one of the lateral
seal wings removed, installed in an expansion joint between a floor
slab and a wall structure, in accordance with the principles of the
present invention.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a notched and folded
compression seal similar to that of FIG. 1 installed in an
expansion joint between stepped concrete slabs, in accordance with
the principles of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The inventive compression seals are designed for use in
expansion joints between adjoining structural elements of various
geometrical orientations or configurations. The expansion joints
may, for example, be between coplanar concrete slabs, between
stepped concrete slabs, or between a concrete slab and a wall. An
exemplary compression seal 100 includes a dynamic compressible
portion 100W supported between lateral load-bearing wings 100a and
100b (FIGS. 1-3).
[0018] FIGS. 1-3 show compression seal 100 installed in an
expansion joint between a pair of adjoining concrete slabs 110a and
110b, which are substantially coplanar. The expansion joint has a
width W between the edge walls of concrete slabs 110a and 110b. The
pair of adjoining concrete slabs 110a and 110b may, for example, be
precast concrete slabs of the type commonly used in concrete
parking deck structures. In such use, expansion joint width W may,
for example, have a nominal value of about 2 inches (FIG. 1).
Longitudinal cut outs or blockouts 110a' and 110b' are formed in
the concrete slabs 110a and 110b along the edges of the expansion
joint. Blockouts 110a' and 110b' are designed to receive lateral
load-bearing wings 100a and 100b of compression seal 100 when the
latter is installed in the expansion joint.
[0019] Compressible portion 100W of seal 100 has a generally
rectangular cross sectional shape with sidewalls 12s and at least a
top surface. The width of compressible portion 100W (e.g., between
sidewalls 12s) may be designed to be the same or slightly wider
than the nominal width of the expansion joint, W. The slightly
wider width of the compressible portion 100W may be selected to
promote an interference fit in the expansion joint. When
compression seal 100 is installed in an expansion joint (e.g.,
FIGS. 1-3) compressible portion 100W is disposed in the expansion
joint space between adjoining concrete blocks 110a and 110b, while
lateral load bearing wings 100a and 100b rest on the surfaces of
blockouts 110a' and 110b'.
[0020] Compressible portion 100W may have a suitable membrane
structure, that is designed to reversibly expand or contract as
concrete slabs 110a and 110b move relative to each other in
vertical or horizontal directions. Compressible portion 100W may,
for example, have an elastic accordion-like membrane structure. The
accordion-like structure may be formed by one or more adjacent
tubes or channels running along its length. FIGS. 1-3 show an
exemplary accordion-like structure, which is made up of hollow
tubes or channels 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d that are disposed
successively adjacent to each other between sidewalls 12s. Tubes
10a-10d extend longitudinally along the entire length of
compression seal 100. It will be understood that he number of tubes
and the inter-tube wall or membrane thickness may be selected to
provide the accordion-like structure with suitable elasticity to
respond to changes in the expansion joint width. The inter-tube or
membrane thickness ("t") may, for example, be less than about a
1/5" thick depending on the fabrication material used. Further, the
elastic accordion-like structure may be designed to allow the top
surfaces of compressible portion 100W to remain at about the same
height as the latter expands or contracts in response to changes in
the width of the expansion joint. FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively show,
for example, compressible portion 100W in states of tension and
compression in response to an increase of about 50% and a decrease
of about 50% in the width of the expansion joint.
[0021] In cross section, compressible portion 100W may have a
honeycomb-like appearance as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1-3. Each
pair of the successively adjacent hollow tubes 110a-10d share a
common membrane or wall segment that has a generally vertical
orientation (e.g., wall segment 12). The upper wall portions of
each of the hollow tubes 10a-10d may include linear or rounded
segments (e.g., linear segment 14) that extend from the common wall
segment (e.g., wall segment 12) to a flat or rounded top segment
(e.g., wall segment 16). The upper wall portions of the outer most
tubes 10a and 10d are structurally connected to adjacent lateral
wings 100a and 100b at nose portions 18a and 18b, respectively.
This integral connection arrangement may be advantageously designed
to provide nose portions 18a and 18b with sufficient mass to
withstand adverse or severe conditions in use and to thereby
increase the durability of installed compression seal 100. Nose
portions 18a and 18b may, for example, be provided with sufficient
mass to withstand repeated automobile wheel impacts in parking deck
applications. The nose portions 18a and 18b also may be designed to
have sufficient flexibility so that lateral wings 100a and 100b are
effectively hinged on compressible portion 100W. This flexibility
may be advantageous in aligning lateral wings 100a and 100b as
needed to conform to the orientation of concrete slab surfaces
adjacent to an expansion joint.
[0022] The lower wall portions of each of the hollow tubes 10a-10d
may have a structure that is generally similar to that of the upper
wall portions. The lower wall portions of the outer most tubes 10a
and 10d may be integrally connected to bottoms of the vertical
sidewalls 12s as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1-3.
[0023] Lateral load-bearing wings 100a and 100b extend from the
upper portions of compressible portion 100W. The load-bearing wings
are structurally designed for use in the field with their top
surfaces S exposed. The load-bearing wings can therefore be used
without using, for example, of protective covers or fillers (e.g.
elastomeric concrete). Each load-bearing wing has a horizontal
width W' and a vertical thickness T. The values of W' and T may be
suitably selected to provide the lateral load-bearing wings with
sufficient mass so that the lateral load-bearing wings can
elastically absorb heavy loads or other wear and tear in use. For
this purpose, the vertical thickness of the load-bearing wings may
have exemplary values that are several times the thickness of the
membranes of the elastic accordion-like structure of compressible
portion 100W. The thickness T of the lateral load-bearing wings
may, for example, be about or greater than one half of an inch. In
the example shown in FIGS. 1-3, the thickness T and the widths W'
of the load-bearing wings 100a and 100b have values of about
{fraction (11/16)}" and about 31/4," respectively.
[0024] For several applications (e.g., parking deck applications),
it may be important that the top surface of installed compression
seal 100 is substantially coplanar with the surfaces of concrete
slabs 100a and 110b. For this purpose, the depths D and widths W"
of blockout areas 110a' and 110b' may suitably selected in
consideration of the thickness T and the widths W' of the lateral
load-bearing wings 100a and 100b. Blockout depths D may be selected
to be about the same as lateral load-bearing wing thickness T, so
that the top surface of installed compression seal 100 is
substantially co-planar with the remaining surfaces of the concrete
slabs. Further, the blockout widths W" may, for example, be
selected to be slightly larger than lateral load-bearing wing
widths W'. The larger widths of the blockout areas ease the
placement of smaller width lateral wings 100a and 100b in the block
out areas during the installation of compression seal 100. In the
example shown in FIGS. 1-3, blockout depth D and width W" have
exemplary values of about 3/4" and 3 1/2", respectively, to
accommodate lateral wings 100a and 100b having the illustrative
dimensions cited above (T.about.{fraction (11/16)}" and W'.about.3
1/4").
[0025] It will be understood that these numerical values given
above are exemplary and are cited only for purposes of
illustration. In practice, compression seal 100 may be fabricated
in various suitable sizes as desired, for example, to fit new or
retrofit preexisting expansion joints and blackouts.
[0026] During the fitting process, compression portion 100W is
inserted or "zipped" into the expansion joint along the length of
the expansion joint. Lateral wings 100a and 100b are received in
the blockout areas as compression portion 100W is inserted or
zipped into the expansion joint spacing. The process of fitting
compression seal 100 in the expansion joint may require only little
or minimal force. For example, the weight of a worker walking or
stepping over properly aligned compression seal 100 may be
sufficient to place compression seal 100 in the expansion joint.
Suitable high strength epoxy or other adhesive material may be used
to permanently bond the mutually contacting surfaces of compression
seal 100 and concrete blocks 110a' and 110b' together. For example,
the outer surfaces of sidewalls 12s and the bottom surfaces of
lateral wings 100a and 100b may be bonded to contiguous concrete
surfaces using a high strength epoxy material 120. In the
installation of compression seal 100, a thin layer of epoxy
material 120 may be pre-applied or coated along the edge walls of
the expansion joint and the top surfaces of block outs 110a and
110b. Then, compression seal 100 may be press fit into the
expansion joint so that the epoxied concrete surfaces bind to the
undersides of lateral wings 100a and 100b and the outer sides of
sidewalls 12s. Caulking material 130 or other suitable fillers may
be used to backfill any gap between the edges of block outs 110a'
and 110b' and lateral wings 100a and 100b wings to complete the
installation of compression seal 100.
[0027] In addition or as an alternate to the use of epoxy
adhesives, conventional masonry techniques (e.g., anchor bolts) may
be used to secure lateral wings 100a and 100b to the adjoining
concrete slabs, if appropriate and so desired.
[0028] Lateral wings 100a and 100b may have solid structure, or
alternatively may have a cellular structure. This cellular
structure may, for example, be like the tubular structure of
compressible portion 100W. FIGS. 1-3 show exemplary lateral wings
100a and 100b made up of one or more successive adjacent hollow
tubes or channels (e.g., 20a, 20b, 20c, etc.). Additionally, the
lower surfaces of lateral wings 100a and 100b (and the outer
surfaces of the sidewalls 12s) may have a pattern of grooves or
other gripping features that may be helpful in securing the lateral
wings to concrete surfaces. Inset A in FIG. 1 shows an exemplary
pattern of longitudinal grooves on the lower surface of lateral
wing 100b.
[0029] Compression seal 100 including load-bearing lateral wings
100a and 100b and compressible portions 100W may be fabricated as a
one-piece structural unit. High strength elastomers, rubber or
rubber-like materials that have suitable physical and chemical
characteristics (e.g., elasticity, temperature response, etc.) may
be used to fabricate compression seal 100. In a preferred
embodiment, compression seal 100 is made from ethylene propylene
terpolymer material. Such material may include material that is
sometimes referred to in the trade by the acronym "EPDM" rubber.
Common extrusion techniques may be used to fabricate compression
seal 100 from EPDM rubber. The tubular design of compression seal
100, which has the same cross-section along the length of
compression seal 100, can be advantageous in the fabrication of
compression seal 100 by extrusion processes. For example, having
the same cross section may advantageously allow substantial lengths
of compression seal 100 to be extruded continuously through a
suitable extrusion die.
[0030] Continuously extruded lengths of compression seal 100 may be
cut to suitable lengths for installation in expansion joints
according to need. The shear properties of the rubber-like
fabrication material used (e.g., EPDM rubber) facilitate mechanical
cutting, trimming or sizing of compression seal 100 in the field.
In addition to cutting extruded lengths of compression seal 100 to
desired lengths, lengths of compression seal 100 may be notched and
folded as needed for use in complex (i.e., non-planar) geometries.
Conversely, small length pieces of compression seal 100 may be
spliced together to make a larger length piece by using suitable
splice joint connectors (e.g., pins or dowels). The cellular spaces
(e.g., channels 20a, 20b, 20c, etc.) in the lateral wings 100a and
100b may be advantageously used to receive the splice joint
connectors for this purpose.
[0031] FIGS. 4 and 5 show exemplary installations of compression
seal 100 in an expansion joint between a horizontal floor slab and
a vertical wall structure 400. For the installation shown in FIG.
4, load-bearing wing 100b is cut away and detached from the
underlying sidewall 12s, leaving nose portion 18b intact. This cut
allows load-bearing wing 100b to be freely lifted or turned around
nose portion 18b, for example, to a vertical orientation
substantially parallel to underlying sidewall 12s. FIG. 4 shows
both underlying sidewall 12s and vertically oriented lateral wing
100b that are bonded to the surface of the vertical wall structure
400. The other lateral wing (100a) is bonded to a blockout in the
horizontal floor slab in an horizontal orientation as described
above with reference to FIG. 1. The epoxy bonding process and the
other steps involved in installing compression seal 100 in the
expansion joint between the horizontal floor slab and vertical wall
structure 400 may be generally similar to those in the installation
process described above with reference to FIG. 1. For brevity, the
description of these steps is not repeated here.
[0032] FIG. 5 shows an alternate arrangement for installation of
compression seal 100 in the same expansion joint structures shown
in FIG. 4. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 5, the entire lateral
load-bearing wing 100b of compression seal 100 is detached or cut
away from nose portion 18b. Compression seal 100 is then supported
against the surface of wall 400 by bonding only sidewall 12s to the
wall surface.
[0033] Compression seal 100 also can be used for more complex
expansion joint geometries. FIG. 6 show an exemplary installation
of compression seal 100 in an expansion joint between stepped
concrete blocks 600a and 600b. Sections A and C of installed
compression seal 100 bridge the expansion joint between the
horizontal step portions of concrete blocks 600a and 600b. Lateral
wings 100a and 100b of sections A and C are supported in horizontal
blockouts in a configuration similar to that shown in FIG. 1.
Section B of installed compression seal 100 bridges the expansion
joint between the vertical riser portions of concrete blocks 600a
and 600b. Lateral wings 100a and 100b of section B are bonded to
vertical blockouts in the surface of the riser portions. Sections
A, B and C may be formed by bending a continuous length of
compression seal 100 at suitably sharp angles. Alternatively,
sections A, B and C may be partially or completely discontinuous
segments of compression seal 100. The first case (partially
discontinuous segments) can be obtained, for example, by making
notch cuts in lateral wings 100a and 100b so that the lateral wing
portions in adjacent sections are disconnected.
[0034] It will be understood that although a number of specific
embodiments of the invention above have been illustrated, various
modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art
within the spirit of the invention. It will also be understood that
terms like "lateral" and "longitudinal," "vertical" and
"horizontal," "upper" and "lower," and other terms that connote
direction or orientation, are used herein only for convenience, and
that no fixed or absolute orientations are intended by the use of
these terms.
* * * * *