JND Enterprises

Seismic Expansion Joints Perform Many Tasks

 

We install Emseal Seismic Expansion Joint Systems, among others that are designed to safely absorb the expansion and contraction of various construction materials, to absorb vibration, or to allow movement due to ground settlement or earthquakes. 

 

Why an Expansion Joint

I find that this synopsis from Emseal expresses perfectly how

 

Seismic Expanion Systems.

Building materials comprising floors, walls and ceilings move due to thermal expansion and contraction, structural shifts, and seismic activity. These forces mandate the need for purpose-designed gaps which permit the building materials to move independently of one another without damage. Smaller planned crack locations are considered control joints while other locations need to accommodate greater movement and therefore require larger gaps. These larger gaps need to be fitted with structural expansion joint fillers. It is important to fill these joints with a sealant or expansion joint system which preserves the attributes of the wall. These attributes may include a designated fire-resistance rating, smoke resistance, sound attenuation, watertightness, wind resistance, or a thermal rating. Many expansion joint systems on the market don’t take into consideration the importance of these requirements and only function on an aesthetic level at best. The ideal solution would match the attributes of the expansion joint system to the requirements of the wall or, at the very least, ensure that the expansion joint material does not degrade any aspect of the wall assembly’s performance.