Watertight Expansion Joints and Construction Sealants by EMSEAL

What is expansion joint material?

Expansion joint material is a product used to fill, seal, fire rate, or provide a transitional surface over an expansion joint. An expansion joint is a gap designed into a building element to accommodate movement. Movement can be caused by numerous factors including changes in temperature, shrinkage of building materials during curing, seismic events, wind sway, dynamic loading, static loading, absorption and release of moisture.

The term “expansion joint material” is generically used to describe everything from the lowest cost/lowest performance “asphalt-impregnated-fiberboard” used to fill and as a pour stop between concrete sidewalks and slabs on grade, to engineered structural expansion joint materials (precompressed foam; fire and water resistant joints; extruded rubber; cover plate systems) used to bridge and seal large high movement structural and seismic expansion joints.