SIKA INTEGRATED SLAB AND FLOORING TECHNOLOGIES
For hundreds of years, builders have used concrete slab joints to control shrinkage, cracking and extend the strength and life of the slab. Depending on placement and function, the joints either use a mechanical device (expansion joint) or are saw cut (control joint). The weakness in this system is that the joints are almost always facing the wrong traffic direction of transfer vehicles, such as forklifts, which creates point loading on the joint edges and, inevitably, broken and damaged joints.
In the U.S. businesses will spend $800M this year replacing or repairing floor joints in factories, warehouses and commercial facilities. Added to this is the expense for vehicle repair and damages to goods during transfer.
Another aspect of slab joints, whether in good repair or not, is that they may create harborage points for microorganisms, dirt and other contaminants that collapse the prerequisite hygiene and sterility standards needed in healthcare, pharmaceutical, food processing and other industries.
Therein lies the dilemma; joints are needed to preserve the integrity of the slab, but joints cannot stand up to the rigors and requirements of practical use. Sika Slab and Floor technologies solve this issue with a two-step solution. First, eliminate or minimize the joints needed to stabilize the slab. Secondly, protect the slab, joints and environment within the facility.
Sika Slab Solutions uses innovative fiber and admixture technology to extend joint spacing and avoid shrinkage, cracking and other slab issues. Sika FloorJoint panels replace common expansion joints where movement is needed and semi-static control joints to eliminate point loading at the joint edge. Sika Resinous Flooring Systems protect the underlying slab and joints while providing a hygienic and sterile environment.
SIKA SLAB SOLUTIONS
The key to a long-lasting slab in the most demanding conditions is proper slab design and material selection. Through the best practice guidelines of ACI combined with Sika’s more than 100 years of global expertise in concrete solutions, Sika is able to provide the most comprehensive suite of products in the market to create a more durable, crack-resistant and cost-effective slab for your next construction project.
Value for owners, contractors, and producers alike, Sika Slab Solutions addresses all phases of construction, from production to placement. Key features and benefits of Sika Slab Solutions include:
- Extended joint spacing
- Increase volume stability of the slab
- Options to reduce slab thickness
- Building code compliance
Until this point, the design community has been left to handle concrete slab designs on their own. Provided with all necessary information, Sika is able to assist your design team in creating concrete with increased joint spacing, reduced section thickness, and conventional reinforcements, as well as optimized placement characteristics, low shrinkage, increased structural loading capacity, and reduced curling. The result is a building code accepted approach with notes and recommended details tailored and optimized to each project.
On-site support continues with Sika’s experienced field representatives assisting local producers with mix design suggestions to ensure the highest possible level of performance. With experts in the fields of waterproofing, sealants, repair, flooring and roofing, Sika is your single-source provider for all of your project needs. From pre-pour preparation to final finished flooring, your next large slab is in the hands of the market leader for innovation, service, and value.
Features and Benefits
- Extended Joint Spacing
- Partial or Full Replacement of Reinforcing
- Reduced Construction Costs and Schedules
- Reduced Maintenance Costs
- Increased Service Life
- Enhanced Surface Quality and Durability
- Project Assistance and Support
- Single-Source Supplier
HIGH PERFORMANCE CARBON FIBER FLOOR JOINT SYSTEMS
The sound and feeling of rumbling over crossing joints in warehouses, factories, and retail complexes is familiar to most people. It can be uncomfortable and causes damage to equipment, such as forklifts and other vehicles. Even hospital patients have had to endure this unpleasant experience while being transported between facilities. Sika can now offer the perfect solution with ultra-thin and almost invisible joint profiles. Our profiles are installed on the same surface level as the floor, which means no more broken thresholds, bone jarring jolts and expensive damage to transfer vehicles.
Floor joints in heavily traveled areas equipped with conventional expansion and construction joints are subjected daily to high point loading and traffic. If the profiles are not perfectly flat, they can degrade or misalign to cause vibration, noise and damage to transport equipment. Deteriorated floor joints also become harborage points for microorganisms and other contaminants that negate sanitation and cleaning regimens.
Sika has addressed these issues with the introduction of the Sika FloorJoint product line. Sika FloorJoint is a prefabricated, carbon fiber reinforced concrete panel, available in two sizes, to take the place of traditional expansion and control joints, particularly in areas where hygiene and sanitation are critical considerations.
Sika FloorJoint panels are well-suited to new building construction as well as restoration of defective joints in existing facilities. Sika’s rapid curing resin systems bond the panels securely to the concrete substrate, which speeds installation to minimize downtime and the interruption of operations,
Once Floorjoint panels are installed they are mechanically ground to ensure a seamless transition between it and the surrounding floor, eliminating point loading, noise and joint damage. FloorJoint can be coated with Sikafloor resinous floor systems to match the needs of any environment or décor.
Sika FloorJoint S
Sika FloorJoint S is a flexible carbon fiber panel that is used to replace larger traditional joints, such as steel expansion joints, to create profile-free transitions between slabs without inhibiting their movement.
Sika FloorJoint XS
Sika FloorJoint XS is a smaller panel solution for joints with only minor movement, such as control or isolation joints. They are ideal for joints with a movement range of 1 – 3 mm.
SIKA SEAMLESS FLOOR SYSTEMS
Reducing the number of joint in a slab goes beyond protecting forklifts and other equipment by eliminating harborage points for contaminants commonly found in pharmaceutical, food processing and sterile manufacturing facilities. When Sika Slab Solutions are used in conjunction with Sika Resinous Floor Systems the result is a seamless, sanitary, high performance surface.
