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| COLORSEAL, a silicone-and-impregnated-foam sealant  COLORSEAL is a precompressed hybrid primary plus secondary seal with +25%, -25% of nominal material size (50% total) movement capability. It's ideally suited to curtainwall and metal cladding systems, as well as concrete, brick, stone, etc. COLORSEAL combines a factory-applied and cured silicone bellows with an impregnated expanding foam sealant backing. Why silicone? Polyurethane sealant options have been proved to suffer dramatic modulus and other physical properties changes at low temperature and over time. The silicone used on COLORSEAL remains pliant, UV stable and watertight over time and temperature gradient.The bellows holds the key to COLORSEAL's unique performance. Alternatives comprised of a pre-cured block of silicone over a un-impregnated foam backing must still be caulked to the substrate with large applications of sealant. This flanking sealant still suffers the same shortcoming of conventionally installed liquid sealant--adhesive in tension during joint opening. COLORSEAL features non-invasive anchoring means you are not drilling and screwing into sensitive substrates. This eliminates the risk of spalls and enables installation into inside corners that are impossible to seal with strip-seals. Expanding foam backing is acrylic-impregnated open-cell foam combined with laminations of closed-cell foam. Puncturing of silicone facing does not affect sealant system performance. Back pressure maintains seal and ensures that silicone bellows is never under tension from the effects of joint movement. COLORSEAL has an R-value of approximately 3.28 per inch of depth which imparts thermal insulation at structural joint-gaps where thermal loss through strip-seals is often significant. Unlike imitations which must be forced into compression in the field, COLORSEAL is supplied pre-compressed to smaller than the joint size. This means that neither the bellows nor the corner bead are in tension during joint opening movement. COLORSEAL has a mounting adhesive on one face. After removal from its packaging, the material is inserted into the joint and adhered to one side. It then expands to fill the joint. Standard sizes from 3/8" (8mm) to 10" (250mm). Sizes up to ¾" (20 mm) have single convex facing. Sizes from 1" (25 mm) and bigger have multiple bellows coating. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Construction News :: home page |