×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Waterproof Expansion Joints

Waterproof Expansion Joints

Waterproof Expansion Joints

(OP)
I'm design a linear "bathtub" for a fish pond that will sit above grade.  It will retain about 8 feet of water via cantilever action of the concrete walls.  My  question is with regards to the joint between the Concrete tank bottom and the cantilevered walls.  Naturally this will be a cold joint that will required a rubber waterstop, is it common practice to put this waterstop in the center of the wall?  This would stop the water but expose my positive reinforcing steel to water seeping through the joint.  I guess the other option is to make the concrete thicker so the waterstop is between the reinforcing steel and the H20.

Thoughts anyone?

RE: Waterproof Expansion Joints

For a normal water bearing structure, we add a waterstop at the base.  Usually the thickness is at least 12 inches to accomodate the waterstop and two curtains of reinforcing.
It sounds like you're designing a swimming pool.  For swimming pools the walls and floors are made of shotcrete with no horizontal joint.  Check with a local swimming pool contractor for details.

RE: Waterproof Expansion Joints

I have used bentonite waterstop for many years on industrial applications instead of traditional PVC. Here is a link to one product: http://www.cetco.com/groups/bmg/Tech%20Data/Waterstop-RX%20Product%20Manual.pdf
The bentonite product is easier to use (is not embedded in fresh concrete, during placement/finishing). Also joints between lenghts of waterstop are easier. Applications have included underground structures, such as coal reclaim pits, where high ground water table is "trying" to leak "in" and above ground water-containing structures, such as electric generating station cooling tower basins where process water is "trying" to leak "out".
Corrosion of the rebar has not been a problem because there is no flow - with out flow, there is no "new" oxygen getting to the rebar to cause corrosion. Please see my comments at Thread507-94877 for an example of this same logic for another application (buried ductile iron pipe).

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources