Category: Case Studies

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Case Study: Creating a Flexible Expansion Joint Filler for a Residential Property in the UK

Liquid Rubber used as an expansion joint filler to fill 25mm gaps between glass panels on a roof terrace at a residential property in Essex

Sealing the Dream – Sylmasta Liquid Rubber used as a flexible expansion joint filler eliminates problematic balcony drips at a dream home

An unexpected issue hit a dream home being built in Essex when water began to drip through glass panel expansion joint gaps in a roof terrace onto a balcony below – leading the homeowner to come up with a creative flexible filler solution to seal the joints

Case Study Data

Site
Residential Property
Location
Essex, United Kingdom
Repair Type
Expansion Joint Filler
Defect
Water dripping through expansion gaps in a roof terrace onto a balcony below

Products Used

Liquid Rubber 80
Rubber elastomer compound which was poured into the expansion joints to offer a water resistant and flexible filler

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The striking property overlooking the Thames Estuary featured a roof terrace with panoramic views. Surrounding the terrace were 26 glass panels with 25mm expansion gaps either side. Below the roof terrace was another balcony where electrical installations such as LED lights and speakers had been added.

Whenever it rained or spray blew in off the Thames, water would drip through the expansion gaps and onto the balcony below, causing issues with the electric equipment.

A residential property in Essex required a flexible expansion joint filler to eliminate drips from a roof terrace onto a balcony below
The residential property. The troublesome expansion gaps were allowing water to pass from the roof terrace onto the balcony below

To prevent this happening, the homeowner needed to find an expansion joint filler material which was both waterproof to eliminate the drips and flexible enough to allow the glass panels to expand.

After speaking with Sylmasta, the homeowner decided to fill the expansion gaps with a packing material which was then encapsulated with Sylmasta Liquid Rubber 80.

A 25mm expansion joint between panes of glass on a roof terrace
25mm expansion joints between the glass panels

Liquid Rubber is a tough but flexible repair compound which can also be used to refurbish conveyor belts, make moulds, and add noise-reducing and abrasion-resistant linings to equipment.

The packing material was first pushed into the expansion gaps. Once the material was in place, the homeowner mixed the two parts of Liquid Rubber together, pouring it into the joints to seal everything.

Liquid Rubber used as a filler for a 25mm expansion joint between glass panels on a roof terrace at a residential property in Essex
Each expansion gap was filled with a packing material which was then encapsulated with Liquid Rubber

Within 16 hours, the Liquid Rubber cured to provide a water resistant filler which could also cater for glass expansion.

Liquid Rubber sets to black, which meant that it blended in seamlessly with the resin which had been used on the rest of the roof terrace’s balustrade. Even on close inspection, you could not tell that two different materials had been used.

The Liquid Rubber blended in seamlessly with the existing resin used on the roof terrace
Sylmasta Liquid Rubber used as an expansion gap filler between glass panels on a roof terrace in Essex
The completed repair of the expansion joint gaps

The use of Liquid Rubber as an expansion joint filler was a complete success and eliminated all drips from the roof terrace to the balcony below.

The homeowner contacted Sylmasta after the repair had been completed, saying he was delighted that a solution had been found to complete the building work on his dream home.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Live Leak Contaminated Water Pipe Repair at a Wastewater Treatment Works

A contaminated water pipe at a wastewater treatment works in the United Kingdom is repaired after being accidentally breached during construction work

Clearing up a mess – a SylWrap live leak repair saves a wastewater treatment works from an environmental catastrophe

A wastewater treatment works was undergoing a major infrastructure upgrade when contractors mistakenly cut through a 450mm steel contaminated water pipe which required a rapid live leak repair to prevent a serious environmental incident.

Case Study Data

Site
Wastewater treatment works
Location
Sussex, UK
Repair Type
Live leak pipe repair
Defect
Highly pressurised leak on a 450mm steel contaminated water pipe

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Multiple Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tapes were used to increase the pressure resistance of the repair

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
SylWrap HD was wrapped and smoothed around the pipe to provide a protective layer over the initial repair

SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit
Both Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD are available as part of the Universal Pipe Repair Kit

SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
The site was recommended to stock a Contractor Case to enable instant response to future leaks and bursts

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The contractors working at the wastewater treatment works in the United Kingdom mistakenly believed the pipe in question had been decommissioned and was due for removal.

In actual fact, it was one of the most important live pipes on site, linked to all the waste treatment ponds. As a result, there was no feasible way to stop the flow once the pipe had been breached.

From the moment the pipe was damaged, the severity of the cuts inflicted to such a highly pressurised pipe resulted in a significant amount of contaminated water escaping.

A rapid, live leak repair to the wastewater pipe was therefore required to prevent a catastrophic situation from occurring.

A high pressure leak in a contaminated water pipe at a wastewater plant in the UK
The break in the contaminated water pipe allowed large amounts of contaminated water to escape

The contractor contacted Sylmasta for urgent assistance. Luckily, the site was located less than one hour from Sylmasta HQ, so our technical team were able to rush all the products needed and offer assistance throughout the repair.

Several Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape were first applied to the pipe. Wrap & Seal is a waterproof self-amalgamating repair rape which fuses to form a solid rubber band over the hole or crack, sealing the leak.

The 450mm diameter of the pipe combined with the high pressure meant that multiple tapes were needed to hold the leak.

This initial repair was then overwrapped using a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD is a composite repair wrap with a water-activated resin.

It was wrapped and smoothed around the pipe, setting rock hard in 30 minutes to provide an impact resistant layer over the Wrap & Seal to protect the repair from further damage.

Within an hour of Sylmasta being on site, the contaminated water pipe had been permanently repaired at a cost of less than £300 to the contractor.

This included additional SylWrap HD should there be any further mishaps or any existing pipes require strengthening or reinforcing during the construction works.

A live leak repair made using a SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit is made to a steel contaminated water pipe at a wastewater treatment works in the UK
The successful repair of the contaminated water pipe

Had a live leak repair not been possible, the wastewater treatment works would have needed to shut down the entire site to isolate the damaged pipe whilst a replacement was sourced and fitted. The cost of such a procedure would have been astronomical.

The speed of the SylWrap repair also prevented a serious environmental incident from unfolding. This could have been damaging in monetary terms through the cost of a clean-up operation and possible fines, and for the reputations of both the wastewater treatment works and the contractor involved.

Understandably, the project manager was extremely happy with the speed and ease with which the contaminated water pipe had been repaired. They emailed Sylmasta a few days after the repair, saying: “Thank you so much, the pipe repair worked a treat.”

Sylmasta have since recommended that the wastewater treatment works takes stock of a SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case. The Case contains enough equipment to carry out up to six live leak pipe repairs.

By keeping one on site, the wastewater treatment works will have everything they need to fix any future leaks as soon as a problem arises.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Heavily Damaged Metal Machinery Repair Saves a Puerto Rico Ball Mill $60 million

Having a Ball – The metal machinery repair which saved a Ball Mill in Puerto Rico $60 million in lost revenue

A three week lead time on replacing heavily damaged metal machinery at a Ball Mill in Puerto Rico looked set to cost a company $60 million in lost revenue – until Sylmasta Ceramic Supergrade carried out a repair in under 24 hours

Case Study Data

Site
Ball Mill
Location
Puerto Rico
Repair Type
Metal Repair
Defect
Heavily damaged metal machine part

Products Used

Ceramic Supergrade
Ceramic Supergrade epoxy paste filled in the significant crack in the metal machine for a hard wearing surface repair

Case Study PDF

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Ball Mills are used for mixing a wide variety of materials together by grinding particles down in size, often with the aim of turning them into powders.

A rotating shell is filled with balls or beads alongside the materials which are to be turned into powder. As the shell rotates, the balls and beads drop from near the top and impact on the materials towards the bottom, which grinds them down.

The process is hard wearing and the balls and beads have to be regularly replaced as a result. Whilst this maintenance work was being carried out, a part had been forced, causing significant damage to a metal part.

Metal machinery in a Ball Mill in Puerto Rico suffering from a heavy crack after being accidentally damaged during maintenance work
The cracked metal part in the machinery which required repair

It was not until a few days after the maintenance work had been completed that the Ball Mill noticed there was a problem. Water which ran between the liner and the outer wall of the machine was now leaking into the tank through a visible crack.

The cost of a replacement part was $200,000 with a three week delivery time from Germany. A specialist installer would also have to be flown over to Puerto Rico to fit the new part.

More pressing a concern for the Ball Mill was that daily production was worth $4 million. A three week wait would therefore have cost the Mill approaching $60 million in lost revenue.

Rather than replace the part, the Mill instead sought out a means to carry out a repair to the metal machinery. Sylmasta recommended the use of Ceramic Supergrade, a two-part epoxy paste designed to repair heavy damage to industrial machinery including silos, chutes, pumps, impeller blades, valves, fan blades, metals castings and tanks.

Sylmasta Ceramic Supergrade epoxy paste used to repair heavy damage to metal machinery at a Ball Mill
Ceramic Supergrade applied to the damaged machinery

The ease with which Ceramic Supergrade can be applied enabled the Ball Mill to carry out the repair themselves. Prior to application, the surface of the metal machinery undergoing repair was prepared by roughening it up. The epoxy paste was then spread over and pushed into the crack with a trowel, filling in the damage before it hardened.

Ceramic Supergrade is reinforced with silicon carbide for ultimate surface hardness, offers excellent protection against future wear and corrosion, and is moisture tolerant which would prevent any water leaking into the shell.

Repair to a metal machine part using Sylmasta Ceramic Supergrade epoxy paste saved a Ball Mill $60 million in lost production
The completed repair saved the Ball Mill $60 million in lost revenue

The repair was carried out whilst the Ball Mill was shut for business on a Sunday. Ceramic Supergrade has a full cure time of 24 hours. By the time the site reopened for business on Monday, the Ball Mill was able to operate at full capacity with tens of millions of dollars saved.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com