Waterstops or waterbars are premanufactured joint filler used to prevent the transmission of water through the construction joint. Waterstops are mainly used for the waterproofing of below-grade concrete structures like tunnels, water treatment facilities, parking structures, water reservoirs, sewage treatment facilities, and marine structures.

Waterstops for Construction Joint

Waterstops are highly demanded in locations where the construction joints are common:

The transition area between the horizontal and vertical concrete components.
Long length wall areas, where two or more formwork is required for casting
Situations when concrete placement is paused or stopped for some reason
Where a change in design form is required for the design elements.
The construction joint is also referred to as cold joints which occur when the before placed concrete cures earlier than the adjacent one. These are the most likely areas which can result in water ingress. In most of the cases, the construction joint is not actually formed. But, a construction joint, like the control joint is introduced in order to facilitate the shrinkage caused due to large displacements.

Most of the below-grade concrete structures have conditions that result in the infiltration of the water into the construction joints. To prevent such leakage, waterstops are introduced into the construction joint. Waterstops have proven best for such infiltration issues observed in the construction joint.

Waterstops are premanufactured joint fillers that come in numerous size, shapes, and types. The most widely used waterstops from 1950s are made from PVC. PVC waterstops are flexible and strong. New materials like asphalt, myriad metal, hydrophilic materials with different compositions are now commonly used for the manufacture of waterstops that suits the varied application in construction.

Read more: Waterstops for Waterproofing of Construction Joints