NCC – Emseal Movement Joints

Emseal produce unique, ‘State-of-the-Art’, expansion / movement joint sealing systems, especially designed for use wide and/or high joint movement capability structural movement and expansion joints. The joint sealing systems were originally developed and manufactured to meet the far higher extremes of construction, traffic loading, weathering and other exposure across North America, from Northern Canada to the Southern USA.

In addition to providing watertight joint sealing and accommodating the necessary joint movement up to 100% of the joint width (+/- 50%), a primary advantage of many Emseal systems, is that they are also designed to be highly fire resistant and thermally insulating, with several systems now ETA Certified for up to 4-hours EI fire integrity in accordance with EN 1366-4). The systems also have excellent sound attenuation / sound transmission reduction properties for internal and external floors and walls.

Another key advantage is that the installation of Emseal joint sealing systems does not require any potentially damaging mechanical fixings, or any other forms of intrusive anchoring, into the structure or adjacent elements, as they are structurally bonded in position, and this can be done easily from one side only, making it possible for other trades and works to continue, with minimal access requirements and disruption etc. There are Emseal joint sealing systems that provide proven, certified solutions for all types of structural movement and expansion joints in new construction, and for the refurbishment, retrofitting, and upgrading of expansion and other movement joints in both horizontal and vertical surfaces, as well as for many other specific joint sealing applications in all types of buildings and civil engineering structures.

Following this successful track record with extensive testing and monitoring of performance in North America, Emseal looked to international markets and NCC (Movement Joints) Ltd., was confirmed as the exclusive UK and ROI Agents and Distributors back in 2016. Emseal joint sealing solutions were then formally introduced to the UK, with these innovative solutions being rolled out and rapidly accepted and adopted as the ideal solution on many major projects and prestige developments all around the UK and Ireland. Initially, this was primarily for sealing trafficked structural decks and floor slabs in car parks and podiums, plus sealing wide and/or higher movement capability (up to 100%, +/-50%), structural floor and wall joints requiring high performance, watertight and airtight joint sealing with up to 4-hours fire resistance and thermal insulation. This is still the largest and fastest growing sector for Emseal products in the UK.

NCC supply the full range of Emseal’s composite joint sealing systems throughout the UK and Ireland, providing full Emseal systems technical support and services, right through seamlessly from the design office, through estimating assistance and practical training, to successful completion on site. This FREE NCC-Emseal Service includes providing detailed advice and support for owners and developers, with Checklists and guidelines for their professional teams, assisting architects and engineers in the selection and specification of the most suitable, durable and cost-effective joint sealing systems and solutions. This include BIM and CAD details for standard details, with bespoke CAD details and support on request. For main contractors and specialist contractors, this service also includes detailed estimating support with full systems and ancillaries advice, providing all necessary Installation Guidelines and Method Statements, plus on or off-site training as appropriate for each project, all in addition to the direct supply of all necessary system components and ancillaries.

In this way we are with you all the way through your projects, online and in the design office, right through specification and detailing with FREE standard and bespoke CAD details, then onto site, helping to ensure successful installation and completion. This is to help ensure your project success with optimum durability and sustainability through extended service-life.

Today Emseal movement joint systems and the Company straplines ‘Watertight by Design’ and increasingly also ‘Fire-resistant by Design’, are becoming increasingly well-known. Emseal systems are renowned worldwide for innovative solutions to solve all types of structural movement accommodation and joint sealing, fire resistance and insulation requirements, as well as for many more complex combinations of joint performance and exposure. Using Emseal joint sealing solutions provides cost-effective ‘one-install-does-it-all’ solutions in all types of buildings and civil engineering structures all around the world.

This means that for all important wide, high movement, and fire-resistant movement joints in both new construction and refurbishment, there is an innovative, easy to install, and cost-effective, Emseal solution.

For more information, please visit our UK website: https://emsealservices.co.uk This is the focussed website for Emseal in the UK and Ireland, with a lot of information on the Emseal range of products and systems, including specialist markets and applications, checklists etc., plus extensive UK Project Case Studies and references. Where required for any additional information, such as CAD Drawings, International Test Certificates, Approvals and Technical Articles for example, then this site will open additional windows to allow you to easily access, view and/or download these details direct from the Corporate Emseal website and resource library hosted in North America: www.emseal.com

For any more specific advice to solve the movement and expansion joint sealing requirements for your project, please call 01257 266696 or email us for advice to: technical@nccinaction.co.uk

Additional Background information on Emseal and Emseal movement joint sealing solutions:

Designing, detailing and installing the right kind of expansion /movement joint seals correctly is vital in the modern construction process, especially as more and more projects have units and sections factory produced with high quality control procedures off-site, which are then assembled and placed into the structure on site. It is also no surprise that problems arising from inadequately designed or sealed movement joints create a hugely disproportionate amount of building repair, retrofit and refurbishment costs.

Today’s construction façade and wall systems for both external and internal locations are being designed to perform a growing number of functions. Beyond simply separating rooms or enclosing and keeping a structure watertight, they are expected to safely contain the spread of fire and/or smoke, and as with any system, this performance is only as good as its weakest link – historically this has frequently been the joints. Expansion joints have therefore historically represented one of the weakest links in any wall construction build-up or assemblies. It is therefore important to fill these joints with a sealant or expansion joint system which preserves the fire-resistance attributes of the wall, floor or other building element.

Fire Ratings and Safety - Emseal Fire Resistant Joints

One of Emseal’s most important innovations in the development of wider and higher movement joints with open-celled foam-based sealing technologies, has been the development of high-performance expansion joint systems with integral fire resistance.

Without a fire-resistance-rated wall system, fire can travel outside the building compartments (across floors and through rooms) or pass into the build-up or through an outside wall, where it can “leapfrog” back into a building on a floor above. A joint gap, like an open door, is an ideal passage for flame and smoke and any products being considered for specification and installation in these expansion joints should be properly tested in accordance with EN1366-4, (using UL 2079, “Tests for Fire Resistance of Building Joint Systems” in North America) before being accepted for use.

For many years it has been common to use several different products and materials to ensure that such expansion joints can accommodate the anticipated structural movement, to maintain a watertight seal and to provide the necessary levels of fire resistance. However, the innovative development of new products and systems from Emseal mean that for a great many wide and high movement building expansion joints, all these individually demanding requirements – movement – watertight – fire resistant - Can be met by the installation of a single Emseal product. There are obvious benefits to having a single product with the ability to work as a firestopping system, whilst also meeting or performing all the other necessary thermal movement, sound attenuation, smoke prevention, moisture barrier and insulation functions all as quite normally expected of the entire wall assembly including the expansion joint.

There are several Emseal expansion joint sealing systems that have received the highest test certification for up to a four-hour fire rating in accordance with EN1366-4 (which uses very similar test criteria to the former British Standard BS 476 for anyone more familiar with this).

Also, in North America the Emseal fire rated expansion joints are tested for fire resistance in accordance with UL- and ULC-2079, and here again, Emseal systems achieve the highest fire resistance test classifications.

Emseal ETA-certified, CE-marked, fire rated expansion joint sealing solutions are therefore now available to suit both internal and externally exposed joints, which can easily be designed and installed as part of complete compartment solutions for secure fire protection.

For any more specific advice to solve the movement and expansion joint sealing requirements for your project, please call 01257 266696 or email us for advice to: tec