Thursday, July 02, 2009

New Earth Shield Waterstop Featured In Concrete International Magazine


Earth Shield's newest retrofit profile (part no. JP621L) is featured in the July 2009 issue of Concrete International magazine. A direct link to the Special Products & Practices Showcase article can be found here. We appreciate the editorial staff at CI for introducing their readership to our newest innovative product.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

"We Contain More" Magazine, Volume 1, Number 2, Now On-line


The newest issue of "We Contain More" is now posted on-line. This issue covers the differences between TPEs and TPVs, and previews a new product for secondary containment, concrete cold joints. Featured project is Ruwais Refinery in the UAE. As always, we appreciate your readership, and consider it our responsibility to the industry to educate and inform.


Thursday, April 30, 2009

We're Looking for a New Sales Engineer

If you're a recent engineering graduate with a PE license (or an EIT working towards your PE), JP Specialties is very interested in hearing from you. We're currently looking for a new sales engineer, someone with outstanding people skills and the ability to comprehensively learn our product line. If this is you, please click this link and follow all posting requirements. (No phonecalls, walk-ins, or faxes accepted.)

Friday, April 17, 2009

JP Specialties Posts All New MSDS Sheets for 2009

For all users of our products, we have posted in our Tech Library brand new, updated MSDS sheets for all our products.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Ruwais Refinery Chooses Earth Shield for Sulfur Expansion


Earth Shield is proud to be a major, critical component in the secondary containment system for the Ruwais Refinery Sulfur Expansion project in the United Arab Emirates. Earth Shield products were chosen for their proven hydrocarbon resistance and long lifespan. A variety of different profiles were utilized on the project including tear web and integrated expansion board cap.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Volume 1, Number 1 of "We Contain More" Now On-line


The premier issue of our electronic magazine — We Contain More — is now live and available for download on the www.jpspecialties.com website. The inaugural issue covers the brand new CFR 112 regulations and is recommended to all our engineering and owner clients. Download your free copy today.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

PVC Dumbbell Waterstop Leaks in Louisiana Floodwall

I've always been somewhat surprised by the Corps of Engineers continued use of PVC dumbbell waterstop in their flood control and dam projects. After Hurricane Katrina hit, and large portions of floodwall needed to be repaired or replaced, the COE's design still called out for this largely out-dated style of waterstop. Dumbbell waterstop functions like a cork in a bottle, with the large end bulbs simultaneously acting as both anchors and internal dams. Historically, dumbbell waterstop is one of the leakiest varieties of waterstop, as the large end bulbs when pulled under tension distort to an elliptical shape, while the concrete cast against them remains in a round shape and therefore creates an annular void for water to migrate through.

Now, large portions of the rebuilt floodwall in Kenner, LA are leaking and expensive repair procedures are taking place. I would imagine that simply by specifying a ribbed centerbulb waterstop this entire failure could have been avoided.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

New Retrofit Waterstop Profile Accommodates Very Large Joint Movements



JP Specialties, Inc. has developed a new Earth Shield® waterstop product specifically designed to accommodate large shear movements, such as tank ring foundations subjected to settlement. The JP621L Retrofit Waterstop System is chemically and mechanically adhered to the existing concrete using one of our chemical resistant, novolac epoxies (VEN500 or VEN1000), stainless steel batten bar, and stainless steel anchor bolts. The waterstop profile is combed along the fastening leg, which facilitates the epoxy bonding to the profile. The embedded waterstop leg has two large polymer dams which are designed to create a torturous fluid path and simultaneously perform as anchor points for the new concrete to bond to. The JP621L profile has a large, tear-web centerbulb that can move greater than five inches without deformation of the waterstops main body. (The thin diaphragm, or "tear-web", ruptures under shear stress, allowing the "U-bulb" to move freely for its entire length when installed in an open joint.) JP621L Retrofit Waterstop can be heat welded to a continuous, fluid-tight barrier, like all our Earth Shield® waterstop profiles, and can be joined to our baseseal (or rearguard) profiles for intersecting joints.