ABSTRACT

Although several field studies have indicated that water penetration can be expected through face-sealed joints over the lifespan of buildings, in particular, when sealed by means of construction sealant, face-sealed systems are still being applied by industry, e.g. precast concrete panels. Laboratory studies evaluating the concept of face-sealed joints are, however, limited. This study assesses and compares the initial performance of four sealing systems, tapes, silicone strips, silicone-based coating and foam sealing strips, applied to seal building joints in a face-sealed manner and subjected to simulated wind pressures and driving rain loads. The results give insight into the initial watertightness of the sealing materials and the sensitivity of the performance of the materials to different installation methods. The results indicate that water leakage can be expected through unperceivable openings in the face-sealed joints and that great care should be taken to install the sealing materials in the correct manner. The findings also suggest that closed-cell foam strips might be considered as an alternative to construction sealant to face-seal joints. Further research should evaluate the performance of these foam sealing strips after natural weathering and exposure to cyclic building movements.

摘要

尽管一些实地研究表明，在建筑物的整个使用寿命期间，可以预期通过面密封接缝渗水，特别是当通过建筑密封胶密封时，面密封系统仍在工业中应用，例如预制混凝土板。然而，评估面密封接头概念的实验室研究是有限的。本研究评估并比较了四种密封系统（胶带、硅胶条、有机硅涂层和泡沫密封条）的初始性能，它们以面密封方式应用于建筑接缝的密封，并承受模拟风压和驱动雨载荷。结果可以深入了解密封材料的初始水密性以及材料性能对不同安装方法的敏感性。结果表明，可以预料到会通过面密封接头中难以察觉的开口渗漏水，因此应非常小心地以正确的方式安装密封材料。研究结果还表明，闭孔泡沫条可能被视为建筑密封胶的替代面密封接缝。进一步的研究应该评估这些泡沫密封条在自然风化和暴露于周期性建筑运动后的性能。