Preface

Title: Preface
Author(s): A.T. Wolf
Paper category : book
Book title: Durability of Building Sealants - State-of-the-Art Report of RILEM TC 139-DBS
Editor(s): A. T. Wolf
Print-ISBN: 2-912143-12-8
e-ISBN: 2351580419
Publisher: RILEM Publications SARL
Publication year: 1999
Pages: XI - XII
Total Pages: 1
Language: English

Abstract: 
This volume contains the state-of-the-art report prepared by RILEM Technical Committee TC 139-DBS ' Durability of Building Sealants'. Contributions to this report were also received from specialists outside the committee and their assistance is gratefully acknowledged.

The purpose of a building sealant is to seal a joint between various construction components or materials. The sealant thus provides a barrier against the 'elements' such as moisture, driving rain, standing or pressurised water, draughts, sand, dust, etc. All building sealants, once installed, are exposed to environmental degradation factors which affect their performance over time and ultimately cause them to fail. Replacing failed sealant joints is time consuming and can be expensive, representing a substantial proportion of the overall building maintenance costs. Specifiers and building owners therefore need to know the predicted service life of a sealant in order to estimate the overall cost associated with the weatherproofing of buildings.

The RILEM Technical Committee 139-DBS 'Durability of Building Sealants' was inaugurated in July 1991 and has set itself the following objectives:

- to review the present knowledge regarding the assessment of the durability of building sealants;
- to promote research in this field; and
- to make recommendations for suitable experimental research and test methods.

In particular, one of the technical committee's goals is to collect experimental data on the natural and accelerated ageing of sealants and to attempt to correlate data obtained according to different ageing regimes using physical performance and chemical analysis methods. The committee hopes to address the following questions with its work:

- what chemical and physical changes occur in a sealant as a result of weathering and what effects do these changes have on the cohesive and adhesive properties of the sealant?
- how do changes in the cohesive and adhesive properties influence the failure rate and failure type of a sealant in service and in the laboratory?
- how well do artificial weathering tests simulate the service conditions a sealant is exposed to?
- how can such tests be evaluated and validated as durability tests?

While RILEM does not directly sponsor research, its intent is to act as a catalyst for future research by bringing experts within a field together. This state-of-the-art report aims at providing an up-to-date statement of our knowledge in the field of durability of sealants, while highlighting the gaps in our knowledge and identifying areas for further research. The editor hopes that this report achieves its goal and that it also facilitates the transfer of new ideas, gained from both laboratory research and field studies, to the study of sealant durability and the development of new high performance sealants. The contributions made by the authors help fill the need for scientific and technological reference and provide the underpinnings for the development of an International Standard on Sealant Durability.

In closing, I would like to gratefully acknowledge the outstanding quality of the contributions made by the authors as well as the dedicated efforts of the editorial committee, the peer reviewers, and the staff of the RILEM Publications, who helped to make this state-of-the-art report possible. My special thanks go to Tina Scalisi who patiently edited the manuscripts to ensure compliance with the camera-ready lay-out requirements, and to my wife who supported and encouraged me during the preparation of this report.

Andreas T. Wolf
Chairman of RILEM TC 139-DBS

Seneffe, Belgium
July 30, 1999

Online publication: 2009-12-07
Publication type : full_text
Public price (Euros): 0.00