sealing ice floor expansion joints EMSEAL

Ice Floor Expansion Joint Sealing

Ice Floor Expansion Joint sealing with EMSEAL

Ice floor expansion joint sealing at ice-floor perimeter joints poses a unique challenge.

Sika Emseal has for going on 40-years consistently met this challenge through the use of its precompressed, impregnated foam and foam-silicone hybrid sealants.

The latest evolution of this expansion joint sealant technology is Emseal’s DSM System. The DSM System supersedes the capabilities of its predecessor 20H System and continues the legacy of success in ice-rink joint sealing.

Concrete ice floor slabs, whether anchored at one end to protect brine tubes, or free to move from their midpoints, generate movements at the perimeter expansion joints that are unique in construction applications.

Movements at the ends of the ice floor are perpendicular to the joint and therefore induce normal tension and compression stresses on the joint sealant.

ice rink expansion joint sealing curve with EMSEALAt the curved corners, however, oblique movements are induced, while on the long sides of the ice floor the movement is parallel to the joint resulting in shear stresses.

The joint system must be pliant enough to accommodate these multiple movements and at the same time be tough enough to withstand ice pressure, and the activities associated with melting and breaking up the ice from time to time.

In mixed-use facilities, the joint system must accommodate the frequent change over from ice, to concrete, to staging, to three-feet of dirt, and back again sometimes all in the same week.

Emseal’s materials have proved an unrivaled combination of toughness and ability to accommodate movement while ensuring watertightness in this application.

As with any project, success begins with pairing material technologies with good design and proper installation. Contact us now for a discussion about the conditions on your ice-floor.

Ice Floor Expansion Joint: A Happy Customer

ice floor expansion joint Greensboro EMSEALSika Emseal’s approach to ice-floor joint sealing goes way back. We’ve been keeping sports facility managers happy since 1995.  Here’s how  it went down at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina.

The perimeter joint around the ice-floor was sealed with DSM System‘s predecessor 20H System in 1995. Localized repairs were made where needed in 2008 and 2015. The joint handles rapid cycling caused by ice making/removal as well as from concert staging and the rigors of up to 3-ft of dirt for rodeo and vehicle shows. Contact Sika Emseal for review of ice-floor applications and assistance in joint-gap sizing and product selection.

ice rink expansion joint sealing testimonial EMSEAL