SELF
HEALING
Polyguard
UNDERSEAL® will self-seal small punctures against moisture
vapor. Permeability tests were
performed on three samples of UNDERSEAL®.
Simultaneously, the lab tested three samples of Underseal
which had been punctured by roofing nails.
Moisture
Vapor transmission was 0.01 perms for both punctured and non-punctured
samples with no significant difference.
CONSTRUCTION
TRAFFIC AND ABUSE
Nevada
Department of Transportation
The Nevada DOT Special Studies Section installed Polyguard highway
weight scale tape, a fabric backed sealant/adhesive system
on US 395 and left it exposed over six months to a million
vehicles "without signs of undue wear and tear".
Their report concluded that the material was "extremely
durable and can withstand a wide range of weather conditions".
– October 1988.
VAPOR,
WATER, AND MOLD
UNDERSEAL® Seals
Out Water and Moisture
The permeability rating of UNDERSEAL® is
0.02, which represents impermeability to both vapor and water. Since mold
requires moisture, UNDERSEAL® blocks mold
formation.
The
waterproofing portion of UNDERSEAL® technology
uses the classic technology of Polyguard's 650 Waterproofing
Membrane. This sheet membrane technology, developed
in 1970, had become the most widely specified type of commercial
waterproofing by the 1990's. In the mid 1990's, Polyguard sponsored
a year long search by FW Dodge Spec Fax Service. This search revealed
that, on U.S. projects > $5 million in size which specified sheet
membrane waterproofing by name, 54% (131 of 244) specified Polyguard's
650 Waterproofing Membrane by name.
TERMITES
UNDERSEAL® Seals
Out Termites
Test of Polyguard Against Formosan and Eastern
Subterranean Termites by Texas A&M University. A FIVE year outdoor test
at Texas A&M against Eastern Subterranean Termites is nearing completion,
with no evidence of termites found at the last (3-1/2 years) inspection.
ICC-ES
Evaluation #2136
“…Membranes are used to provide protection against subterranean termites
and as a waterproofing membrane for walls and floors.”
PESTICIDES & OTHER
TOXIC CHEMICALS
UNDERSEAL® Seals
Out Pesticides
Tests by ASTM F 2130 of UNDERSEAL® against
two widely used pesticides (fipronil and permethrin) and against chlordane
(banned by the EPA in 1988) showed zero penetration of the pesticide through
the sealant.
RADIOACTIVE
RADON GAS
UNDERSEAL® Seals
Out Radioactive Radon Gas
Christie Whitman, former EPA Administrator, stated in 2003: “As many as 22,000
people die from lung cancer each year in the United States from exposure
to indoor radon gas”.
Today
a number of vapor barrier materials represent themselves as radon
barriers. However, few have been tested against radon gas. The reason
is that radon gas is RADIOACTIVE, and there is only one laboratory
in the United States with the capability of testing. That lab is
at a major university. Scientists at that laboratory believe that
radon barriers should be tested using radioactive radon isotope of
mass 222, and that testing should be performed for both permeability
AND diffusion, using samples installed on representative concrete
mix.
Polyguard
UNDERSEAL® has been subjected to these tests,
and has been found to reduce radon permeability by one order
of magnitude, and to reduce radon diffusion by two orders of
magnitude. These tests were performed on uncracked, unjointed
concrete. If the concrete had been cracked, the improvement would
have been infinite. Remember that UNDERSEAL® has
been designed to seal even after the slab above cracks, or its
joints shift.
METHANE
GAS
UNDERSEAL® Seals
Out Methane Gas
If your project has
a methane gas concern, note that UNDERSEAL® has
been tested for resistance to methane gas permeability. Results
show extremely high resistance. –
April & October, 2003.
UNDERSEAL®
WILL CONTINUE TO SEAL, EVEN IF THE SLAB ABOVE CRACKS, OR THE JOINTS
ABOVE IT SHIFT
Several
State DOTs have completed research which showed that Polyguard highway
membrane underseals, which contain similar components to UNDERSEAL® ,
continued to seal pavements even after the pavement had cracked above
it, or the joint had had opened above it. Each DOT removed cores
from the cracked pavement or opened joint, and in all cases reported
that the Polyguard membrane underseal was
intact and still sealing. Prior to the final report, up to 17 million
vehicles had driven over the Polyguard membrane
underseal.
Mississippi
Department of Transportation
Final Report State Study No. 67-18 Evaluation
of Joint Sealing Tape – September 1992.
New
York State Department of Transportation
Research Project FHWA/NY/SR-94/114 "Membranes
for Pavement/Shoulder Joints" noted that pavement cores
with Polyguard underseal had been removed
from concrete joints after 4-6 years under traffic. The underseal
had remained intact. – December 1994.
PENNDOT
(Pennsylvania Department of Transportation)
Research Project 79-6 (Interim Report, page 12).
UNDERSEAL®
ACTS AS A STRESS ABSORBING ANTI-FRACTURE MEMBRANE, AND CAN BE EXPECTED
TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT AND SEVERITY OF SLAB CRACKING ABOVE THE MEMBRANE
Georgia
Department of Transportation Research Project 7502 Final Report
“… waterproofing membranes have reduced the rate
of reflective cracking… …even when reflective cracking appears
over joints with membrane treatment, the cracks appear to stay
tighter than cracks over joints without membrane treatment…”.
Georgia DOT research, based upon a 6 year evaluation of 20 test
sections of I-85. Source: Transportation Research Record 916,
paper presented by Wouter Gulden and Danny Brown, Georgia Department
of Transportation. Polyguard Membrane
used in research.) – September 1984.
Polyguard's highway
membranes contain similiar components to our Architectural UNDERSEAL® products.
Although components are not identical, we believe results of highway
tests will translate to the building construction setting.
OTHER
RESEARCH AND USAGE FOR HIGHWAY APPLICATIONS
Vermont
Agency of Transportation “Saving Chloride Contaminated Bridge
Decks”
“Results of ongoing research in Vermont now
strongly suggest that a properly selected and applied waterproofing
membrane will reduce the oxygen and moisture supply at the
rebar level enough to lower corrosion activity to non-destructive
levels.” (State of Vermont research, based upon a 4 year
evaluation of seven chloride contaminated bridge decks, Source:
Paper presented at 4R Conference, by Ronald I. Frascoia,
State of Vermont, Agency of Transportation. Polyguard Membrane
used in research.) – November 1989.
Polyguard highway
underseals – Research and Usage Summary
Over 35 states have approved or used Polyguard underseal. |
