14 July 2010

Choosing the right sealant for concrete walkways

In two recent major construction projects in Durban, a.b.e. Construction Chemicals’  Dow Corning 813C silicone sealant was used to seal the concrete joints on the public walkways. Deon de Kock, technical sales consultant for a.b.e. in KwaZulu-Natal, says the sealant was applied to the Moses Mabhida Stadium’s Heroes’ Walk and the new Durban beachfront promenade – the walkway that links the 2010 Soccer World Cup stadium with uShaka Marine World.

“Grey Dow Corning 813C was applied by a.b.e. approved applicator, Erbacon, to seal the joints on Heroes’ Walk,” says de Kock. “This new one kilometre-long concrete walkway links Durban city with the stadium and will provide a public track for walking, jogging and cycling. Heroes’ Walk traverses the new People’s Park, a green haven with trees, lawns and picnic spots near the stadium.”

The main contractor for Heroes’ Walk was Armstrong Construction. De Kock continues, “On the new fifteen metre-wide beachfront promenade, the sealant was applied by Block Cutting and Corring applicators. The promenade links the stadium with uShaka at Durban’s Point area.”

The main contractor for the Durban beachfront upgrade was Afrostructures. Dow Corning 813C is a one-part, neutral curing, low modulus silicone sealant suitable for interior and exterior applications such as expansion and perimeter concrete joints. The sealant – which is pure silicone, not organic-based – offers durable, unprimed adhesion to a variety of porous and non-porous surfaces, including concrete, masonry, brick, PVC-U, wood, glass and construction metals, without causing corrosion.

“The sealant bonds chemically to concrete and has full resistance to UV radiation and extreme temperatures. It has a high joint movement capability of about 50%, Shore A-scale hardness of 29, and an elastic recovery of over 90%. Dow Corning 813C can be applied up to 50mm wide and has an elongation-at-break of 700%,” de Kock adds. a.b.e.’s popular Dow Corning sealants are imported from Belgium and have been applied as expansion joint sealants on major highways, bridges and airport aprons throughout Southern Africa.

 

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