EMSEAL Joint Systems Ltd. has developed another breakthrough, UL-certified fire-safety expansion joint system - this time for walls. The Emshield WFR2 release comes on the heels of the company's introduction of Emshield DFR2 for decks last month.
Expansion joints bisect buildings to allow for structural movement caused by thermal, wind, seismic and other changes. Emshield WFR2 - which stands for wall, fire-rated, 2-hours - performs all the functions necessary to accommodate these movements in a single installation, reducing the environmental impact while meeting fire-safety and building codes.
"Using less materials, conserving energy and improving safety are cornerstones of LEED and green building-based design philosophy," said EMSEAL president and CEO Lester Hensley. "Before, expansion joints required separate products to seal, bridge, and fire-rate joints. That meant separate material and installation costs. Emshield WFR2 and DFR2 accomplish all of these functions with a single installation - that's a huge plus for the building industry."
Company officials say having one product that accomplishes what several did before will save architects, engineers and general contractors the expense, time and effort associated with installing a variety of products to create a fire-rated system.
The new hybrid wall system is designed for buildings, stadiums, arenas, hospitals, schools, universities, airports, parking decks, hotels and other structures where containment of fire at structural expansion joints is required. Being UL 2079 certified means that it has been tested and passed the rigorous underwriters laboratories expansion joint sealant cycling and fire testing.
EMSEAL, established in 1959 and located in the U.S. since 1979, has provided sealant systems and technical support to many prominent structures including stadiums, arenas, hospitals, parking structures, airports, malls and other commercial and public sector developments.
EMSEAL products are used worldwide, including in the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field in New York, Westfield Malls, American Airlines Arena in Miami, The Empire State Building, Lincoln Center, The CN Tower Toronto, Watergate Hotel, Greensboro, N.C. Coliseum, Houston Intercontinental Airport, the Pentagon, Nordstrom's Stores, FedEx Field Washington Redskins Stadium, Citizens Bank Philadelphia Phillies Ballpark, California Polytechnic and the Atlantic Station in Atlanta.
EMSEAL operates out of two large factories - its recently relocated headquarters in Westborough, and its manufacturing plant in Toronto, Canada.