Sealing of Joints
Where the finished joint is exposed to outdoor environments
it is recommended that all such joints be filled. This ensures
that foreign materials such as dirt and sand do not get washed
into the joint. If foreign material enters the joint, the
joint will not function properly when subjected to expansion
elements and buckling or spalling can occur at the joint.
Additionally, as a preformed metal key joint produces a smooth
"off the form" inner surface, it does not produce
a build up of aggregate fragments in the joint over time,
as saw cut and tooled joints do.
By attaching our permanent PVC
capping strip to the Connolly key joint prior to the concrete
pour, no further operations are required after the final finishing
and sealants are not required unless the joint is to be watertight.
In addition to the, time, material and cost savings Connolly
key joint has the added benefit of being able to be used to
screed off. This makes getting the right level quick and easy
during the pour as it is all set up before pouring commences.
The Permanent PVC capping reduces the amount of particles
that enter the joint and allows the volume of any particles
that do enter the joint to be taken up by the compression
properties of the capping.
It is also important to keep the
width of the joint as small as possible, as a wide joint puts
more stress on the corner of the concrete at the joint. These
stresses can be from wheel traffic over the joint or from
foreign particles that enter the joint. The 180 degree fold
to the top of the Connolly key joint allows substantially
narrower joints to be achieved than those of other manufacturers.
The shape of the Connolly capping
also reduces the likelihood of damage occurring to the joint
edge as it forms a slightly bevelled edge to the joint.
For water-tight joints or for load
bearing joints to be filled with semi rigid epoxy fillers,
it is recommended to use either Connolly Removable Capping
or Connolly Rebate Mould in conjunction with an appropriate
sealer/filler .
