DSM Installation Sequence at EMC Corporation:
(Click images to enlarge).

(Bond-line failure of extruded, inflated, seal was typical after only two seasonal cycles).

When joints fail, leaks are an annoyance and can also result in unsafe ice-patches on affected lower decks.  Just as concerning however is the deterioration of the concrete structure as the result of allowing de-icing salt laden water to penetrate to rebar causing corrosion and spalling.

Extruded joint systems are sized assuming that joints are uniform in width.  They also rely on adhesives in tension to pull the seal open as joints open up at low temperature.

Where joints are wider than the average joint size for which the extruded seal is sized, or where the seal goes into tension at low temperatures after the rubber has suffered compression set at high temperatures, the tension on the adhesive results in bond line failure.

By contrast, the DSM SYSTEM is manufactured at a dimension more than twice the intended joint opening.  It is compressed to less than the joint size and held at this dimension in its packaging.  When released from its packaging, the material gradually opens.  The rate of opening allows time to apply an epoxy to the foam and to get the material into the joint.  Once locked between the substrates, the DSM material continues to expand as it attempts to recover to its full expanded dimension.  This means that a backpressure minimizes the tension on the bond line between the foam backing and the substrate while the factory-formed silicone bellows is never in tension.
 

(DSM SYSTEM is supplied in sizes to suit field-measurements and with epoxy and silicone sausages needed for installation).

For EMC², the material was supplied in four different sizes to suit the field-measured joint variations found by the contractor on this job.

The finished installation addressed deck-to-wall conditions, ...

At original construction, the structural joints in the main building utilized all of the unique features of EMSEAL's COLORSEAL technology:

(Click to enlarge in order to see the color-switching used to minimize the visual impact of the structural expansion joints at the center of the above photo).

• In all the joints the unique ability to color change ensured that the joint seal blended with the changes from brick to precast;
• the thermal insulation value of the COLORSEAL provides an R-value of nearly 7 in these joints;
• the non-invasive anchoring facilitated an efficient installation while ensuring that brittle masonry and concrete, and sensitive aluminum mullion substrates are not violated with screws;

(Structural expansion joints at inside corner utilize unique features of EMSEAL COLORSEAL).

• and at inside corners, the self-anchoring feature ensured proper securing of the system that would have been impossible because of the inability to access the corner with drills if, for example, a rubber-and-rail strip seal type system had been specified.

EMSEAL DSM SYSTEM and COLORSEAL products are the only technologies of their kind that are totally free of wax or asphalt compounds.  Consequently there are no equals available with their proven combination of high-temperature flexibility and stability, as well as low-temperature flexibility.