159

EFFECTIVE SEALANTS FOR EXISTING STORAGES FROM FLOOR TO ROOF

W. Glet,
VAT Ba"ustofftechnik, Hamburg, WEST GERMANY.

ABSTRACT
Complete sealing has to take into account the -main elements of existing
storages, e.g. concrete floors, connections to vertical walls, vertical walls
with cracks and/or joints, connections to flat or angular roof and roofs with
or without insulation. Apart from general requirements an e x ternal seating
material h as to meet the following specifications: gastight sealing with crack
bridging properties, elastic filling of joints and cracks, heat reflection, long
lasting UV-resistance and, for metal surfaces , protection against corrosion.
An internal sealing material has to comply with similar requireme n ts
plus smoothing of surfaces, formation of abrasion resistant layers,
compatibility with foodstuffs, and stability to fumigants. Systems of sealants
have been developed which effectively meet these requirements.
As external sealants (walls and roofs) - acrylic resin dispersion as
primer - if necessary with rust preventing agents - with subsequent white
heat reflecting acrylic coating (eg Wastolan-B whi te).
As i nternal sealants - floor - flexible polymer concrete; joins in floor
and walls - Acrylic mortar with cement (e.g. Barument); walls - bitum i. nous
primer (e.g. Eubit-Plast) plus polychloroprene coating (e. g. Wastolan-A).
These systems (excepting Barument) have proven the i r effectiveness on
grain storages for 4 years in internal application and 2 years in external
application in \'iestern Australia. They have also proved successful in the
farm silo sealing programme in Western Australia.

1. THE PURPOSE OF SEALANTS AND COATINGS

There are three reasons why sealants and coatings are applied:

a} because of beauty and to make buildings look nicer,

b} to protect buildings against attacks from light, atmosphere, water,
c hemi c als and mechanical treatment by use,
c) to a void escaping gases and liquids out of storage or to protect
materials which are stored in sealed rooms.

In our case the most interest is given to point c) but also point b} is
rather important. Of course it is nice to have material.s which give
satisfaction in these matters and which have a good appearance as well, but
beauty is not treated here.

2. BUILD-UP OF SEALANTS AND COATINGS

Three components of sealant are important: the base, the primer and of
course the sealant itself.
160

Mostly the base is not mentioned when sealing is discussed. However the
success of the substrate is very important to a sealing system. A coating
never can be better than the base to which it must adhere. Defects found in
the substrate include porosity, roughness, excessive smoothness, dustiness,
coverage with old paints or dirt of all sorts and dampness.
The primer has various tasks. In many cases it only has to overcome
defective substrates. A sealant can often be used without a primer when the
base is in good condition. However this is rare. Generally, the primer has to
bind dust, close pores, increase cohesion in the base and absorb all kinds of
dirt. In some cases the primer must be a true adhesive when the coating
itself does not stick well to the base. Because of all these reasons the primer
has to meet some special specifications. In particular, it must penetrate and
it must adhere both to the base and the top sealant coat. Furthermore, a top
coat must never be harder than a lower layer. So the primer should not be
softer than the sealant. This requirement is sometimes difficult to meet as the
harder a primer is the less adhesive it is. A primer mostly has no sealing
function itself, but it only prepares the substrate for the sealant.
The top coat or sealant has quite a different task to the primer. As its
name implies, it coats or seals. That means it must possess all the properties
needed to meet the requirements described in Section 1. To fulfil this there
must be a satisfactory method to apply the sealant. In particular,
bubble-holes, cracks or gaps in coating must be avoided. Furthermore it is
necessary to ensure the thickness of the layer is at least as much as it is
wanted all over the treated surface. A little instrument was developed which
can measure thickness of wet films between 25 microns and 2 mm in small
steps. The instrument is called a 'comb' (Fig. 1).
 161

fig . 1 Some • combs ' for meas u r ing the t hick n ess of wet l aye r s .

The wet layer must u sually be much t hicker th an th e dey layer. If

so lv ent or some th i n el se ev apora tes, t here is a v olume c on t r a tion and the
laye. thi ckness dec r eases . So t h e so li ds on ten t by vol um e must be known
wh en th m ter i al i s applied so t hat allowance a n b e ma d e fo r sol vent l oss
wh n th e expecte d d ry film t hick n ess is ca1cul te d.
162

If the ma te r i a l contr a cts du r ing dry ing , t h ere is a d anger that cracking
may occur . T h is danger di.ff rs from one p roduc t to the other a nd th e
p rod ucer must s pecify th e u pper lim it f or wet 1 yer thickn ess that c n be
applied in one oper a tion. Mostly two coa t s of materi. al are n ec e ssa'ry to reach
th e requ ired d ry layer thi ckness . If t wo coa t s a L'e u sed it is more liket y that
the coverage wi ll be unifo rm and gastig h t, a s it is v ery improba ble' that two
defective spots coin c i de . However, toda y more and more products are ap plied
i n o ne operation s ve mo n e y . Th i s n eeds operato r s who are v ry s kill ed in
th e ir jobs .

METHODS OF APP LI CA nON

There are t hree d ifferent kinds of app lic ati on tec hni que :

a) Manua l, 1. e. b r u shing, rolli ng or trowel applic tion .

b) By sprayers elthe r ai r- en t rai n e d or by ai rless s p ra y ing.
c) Br i dgi n g over crack s . join t s an d con n cho n s us i n g a 'fleece' fo r
r einforc ment .

Fig. 2 A fle ce b e i ng a pplie d to a cons t r uction joi n preco a te d with

Wastol n. The Wasto lan p en tr tes th e fleece g i v ing a rein for ce d
corn i ce over t he join .
 163

~. e
c
b a

,I

.. >
"K
,
" ,
. .
,
'

. .. .
, .'
,
,

Fig . 3 A sealing of a j oin t a '= seala nt, b .. penetra ted fl ee e , c .. l oose

fo n, d = movemen t of the j oi n t , e .. c on r ete . Th e loose f oil g ives a
much wide r stretc h area for t h e s a ling.

Applicatio n of coa ting ' 5 by l:'oller or brush are well know n tec h n i ques .
However, there 5 a great d i ffere n ce b e twee n t h e two meth od s . I f a ma te ri a l
is brushed o n , it i s r ea lly rubbe d i nto all un evene sses o f t h t r ea te d surface
(eg . holes, ct'acks , pores ). The m terial ge ts a very good grip on the
surface . Fu r t he mo re , resi du 1 dust a nd l oose stu f f at'e r ub bed i nto the
sealant material. On t h e oth el:' h and , if a roller i s u sed fo~ a ppli c a tio n , t h e
material i s only l a i d on th e surface a nd it mus t adhe re b y it s own power:-.
The min imum cequ i rement for t his is good penetration of t he su bst r a te . Th is
is dependant o n th e v ' scos i t y of t h e coati ng , In most cases , t he rolle r
tec hniq ~! e needs special pri mer for o p tim al dhesLon. Trowel app licat ion can
give good results , b ec use th e mat e ri a l is pressed i n to a ll u neven n esses of
\

the substra te . However, t h e tr ces of the trowel very ofte n are o b v ious and
the t hi ck n ess of th e l ayer ca n Vdl:'y co n s i dera b l y .
164

Spra y i ng tec h ni. ques re qui re spe c i a li sed equ i pment. With s imple
air- ass i s ted s prayi ng , air is p um ped at 4-6 bar into the material to be
applied, for in g it out of a gu n as a fi n e s p r ay . This kind of spraying is
somet im s ca ll ed the ' low pressure t echniq ue '. With a i rless spraying, a much
higher press ure is req u i red at th e g un ( e g. 300 bar}. The materi a l is
released fro m the spray ing n ozz l e at h igh speed .

Fig . 4 Wa stol a n Red i s spray d with air i n the low p r es sure method to
penetr ate a fl eece for t igh te n i ng a pit.

Both spr ying method s r e v ery co nomical. La r g areas can be coated

in a sho rt tim e with· v ery l i.ttle manp wer. Howe ver, a compre s sor must be
 165

available which not only gives enough pressure but also enough air volume.
Furthermore, the airless method can be used only if the material is
absolutely free of foreign bodies. If there are lumps in the liquid which plug
the nozzle the spraying angle is altered and the thickness of the applied
layer becomes very uneven. Thus liquid materials to be sprayed must be ­
manufactured under very clean conditions.
The spraying techniques have other advantages over manual · application.
The material is sprayed into all unevenesses of toe surface, particularly if
the high pressure method is used. All dust and loose stuff on the surface is
blown off. The airless method does not produce air pockets and foam in the
applied layer because the drops are very small and meet the surface at a
very high speed. If bubbles and holes do appear, they always result from
pores in the substrate (Fig. 5).

d a

Fig. 5 A bubble develops in the sealant where it penetrates into a pore

and removes the air, a = sealant, b = pore, c = bubble,
d = concrete.
166

Using fleece as a membrane reinforcement is a special technique. I t can

only be applied manua ll y, (Fig. 3) but is always necessary when the
building to be sealed has special critical points, such as joints, connections
or cracks that must be bridged over. The sealing material itself is normally
not able to wi thsta nd the movement in these regions. T here is a rule for
bridging over joints or c racks: if a slit is to be bridged by an elastic or
plastic material, the thickness of the layer must be at least three times the
width of the slit ( Fig. 6).

c
d b a

/
3 mm

Fig. 6 A crack has formed suddenly and elongates the sealant. On the
bottom it is streched from zero and begins to tear. a = sealant, b =
crack, c = concrete, d = movement. The sealant thickness should be
more than 3 x the crack width to ensure that the seal does not fail.

Fleeces for reinforcing membranes must have special characteristics:

they must be elastic and as isotropic as possible, because they must
withstand movement and stretch in all directions. The liquid sealing material
nust totally penetrate the fleece and it must be canpletely free of tension. The
 167

latter feature allows the fleece to be laid on all bends, hollows etc. without
loosening as long as the sealant has not yet hardened.
When applying a fleece, the surface is first coated with . material. Then
the fleece is rolled into the wet sealant starting from one end to the other of
the fleece, so that folds and turns are a voided. The roller enables the liquid
to penetrate the fleece without tension. After the fleece has been penetrated
totally, a new layer of sealant is applied by roller or spray.
If the surface to be treated is in poor condition, the fleece must be
taken over the entire area. This gives much more stability in the sealant and
is always advisable where a sealant has to withstand pressure. Furthermore
use of a fleece guarantees a certain thickness of the sealant as the layer
cannot be made thinner than the penetrated fleece itself.
When a large crack is to be sealed, it is useful to put a loose cover
over it before applying the fleece and sealant (Fig. 6). This spreads the
tension resulting from movement of the crack over a larger area of sealant,
reducing the posibility of failure.

4. THE WASTOLAN SYSTEM

Some general aspects
In water-based media, insoluble binders can only be emulsified or
dispersed. This means that <\ polymer forms very small drops in water that
are prevented from agglomerating by giving them a charge or a protective
coat. But as small as the drops may be, the whole mixture always remains a
two phase system. The drop size of polymer dispersions normally is between
0.1 and 1.0 micron.
The following figures (Figs. 7, 8 and 9) show the setting mechanism of
dispersions of various types:
168

c b
a
+

1
-
- --

Fig. 7 Mechanism of setting in a cationic emulsion. The cationic emulsifier

adheres to the anionic base. a = cationic drops of the emulsion, b =
the first cationic film, c = concrete.

a
b
c

++
Mg Mq+ Ca+

- d.!.. cr ­ ++
Ca

Fig. 8 Mechanism of setting in an anionic emulsion. Ca++ and Mg++ ions

are dissolved out of the base and form an insoluble compound with
the emulsifier. a = anionic drops of the emulsion, b = anionic
emulsifier, c = concrete.
 169

d c b water
a

Fig. 9 Mechanism of setting in nonionic emulsion. Water evaporates and

forms a skin after the protective layers around the drops have
evaporated. a skin, b = drops with dried protective layer, c =

original non ionic drops of the emulsion, d = concrete.

Cationic emulsions normally adhere by exchanging their charge with the

substrate which carries anionic charges. Anionic emulsions must react with
the substrate. This can only happen if metal ions are set free that react with
the emulsifier-soap to give water-insoluble compounds. both types form films
and sealants which are highly resistant to water swelling because the
emulsifiers are destroyed. Nonionic emulsions, which are stab ilis ed by a
protective nonionic coat around the polymer drops, are very stable indeed but
they only dry and do not react t o give a sealant. So the emuls ifier stays
unchanged in the sealant and can be reacti.vated if water' treats it. Only
very few emulsifiers of this type can be used without any risk, but nonionic
emulsi.fiers are often preferred because they give more stability in
manufacture and application of the sealant.
170

W'astolan Primers
In contrast to dissolved (single phase) primers, emulsified primers have
difficulty in penetrating into the pores of the substrate. The surface forms a
sort of sieve and the droplets of the emulsion are left on the surface, while
the water is sucked into the substrate (Fig. 10). Therefore, an emulsion
primer must contain emough wate 0 0 'that it does not stick to the brush or
roller while being applied. If it dries too fast it does not have ti.~e to
agglomerate to form a film.

a
b
I

VI
water

Fig. 10 Sieve-effect of concrete. The water is sucked out of an a pp li ed

emulsion and the dispersed phase sta y s on top. a = emulsion drops,
b = concrete, c = water suc ked in[o the concrete.

Because of being le ft on the sudace, an emulsion' primer Is we ll suited

-to seal pores and holes. This is especially important for a material used as a
sealant. Of cO:.Jrse the primer has to ensure good adhesion of the top coat as
well. For these reasons, Wastolan Primer' is made from very special materials:
bitumen/neoprene/acrylic resin. Wastolan Pdmer shows the foll o wing
properties: good pore sealing, very good adhesion, ex.tremely gastig ht , good
strength for carrying the top sealant and very tacky. It can be applied very
easily by all methods described i n Section 3, although best by brushing or
spraying. The colour of the primer is black only because of the bitumen
c o ntent. This black primer is rather thixotropic, so the consumption is about
0.5 kg / m2 , but depending on the roughness of the substrate.
 171

Th e s u rface t be t r ate d h as to b e- v r y clean and soli d en ough to c ar ry

t he whole seal n If the surf ce is too we k the to tal seala n t may l oo s e n
(Fig . 11). Tec hni a l d a ta on Was to l an Pr i me r is g tven in T b l e 1.

Fig . 11 The Was tola n 6eal nt was re mo v ed f r om a weak sudace . Th e

loosened oncret st i ll d d h ere~ well to the W sto l <'t n.

Table 1 . d t a f or Wastolan Primer .

Densit y : 1000 kg/m3

So l ids con t ent by we i gh: 60 %
Sol i d s con t en t by v ol ume : 60 %
Cha rg of th e erru ls i (J"l : n i onic

Characteri 5 tic o f d r i ed materia l:

Res i s tan ce to h ea t (01 52123 )

Resis t nce t o c old (DIN 5 21 23)
Wate rproofn ess , 2 . 5 mn:
Elonga ti on at b r eak depend i ng
an thi ckn ess : 300 - 400 %

Th ere is a lso a not h r p rime r a vail ab l e fo r Was tola n. It is al s o an

e mu l s ion bu t co n t ini ng acrylic r es in nd b e i ng [rfOe fr om b i t u me n a nd
172

pigments it dries rather colourless, is much harder than the other primer and
is not thixotropic. It is thus an adhesive primer only without se~ling

properties itself (see Table 2).

Table 2. Technical data for the acrylic-based primer for Wastolan.

2
Density: 1000 kg / m
Sol ids content by weight: 38 %
Sol ids content by volumt·: 38 %
Charge of the errulsicn anionic
Cleaning agent, wet: \va t er
Cleaning agent, dry: butyldi il ycolacetal~
'1
Con surrpt ion: 200 - 300 g/m""
Drying: 1 - 3 hours dependen t on weather
cor.ditions

Wastolan Top Sealant

This material is based on an emulsion of acrylic resin. It is solvent-free
and fiUed with china clay mineral powder and pigments. The acrylic resin
forms a highly elastic sealant film which is able to bridge over cracks. The
sealant has a very good resistance to UV-light and keeps its white colour for
many years. Of course it may happen that dirt and dust darkens the surface,
but this is not unusua l.
Wastolan can be used to seal all kinds of buildings against wdter,
humidity or escape of gases through porous walls. It is particularly suited
for sealing grain storages for controlled atm0sphE'res and fumigation.
Wastolan can also be used in sealing of pits (Fig. 12). The technique
differs quite a lot from that used for sealing walls. Here a big she e t of
fleece is put on the bottom of the pit in the soil as evenly as possible. Then
the fleece is impregnated with the Wastolan material (thinned a li tt l e with
water) to give a very strong, elastic membrane. After the impregnation, a
second coati.ng is usually applied to guarantee fu ll sea li ng and give a smooth
surface. The whole application can Orr-1-y be done by spray. Air-as=.isted
spraying is most suitable.
 173

Fig. 12 A p it seal e d wit h Wastola n. I t i s s upposed to be im p r vious to

s wage t o a voi.d s e p ag nd poll u ti.on of t he 50 11.

For se Li ng of pit s and a ll othe r kind s of se l i ng there i s also a ec on d

type o f Wastol a n b ase d on p o ly c h loropr e n e rubbe r (Neopren e ) .
Wa s tola n is a v aila bl in di fferent co lo u r s : red , g ree n, gr y and wh ite .
Of co ur se th e wh it o ne reflect s li g ht b e st , so i t s ho u l d a lwa y s be used where
maximu m reflectio n of li g ht is r eq ui red, es p eci lly if h eati ng by th sun i s
to be voide d. The white c olou r i s fa vou red i n seali ng of g t'" t"n silos t avoi d
thi s h e a ting.
Wa sto Lan 1 yet'"s are v ery to ugh an d el s ti after full d ry ing. But at
critic 1 point s a fl e ce s houl d b e l a id i n to in crease the strengt h of bridging
over all sorts of slits . It a lso i s able to b ri dge o v er c racks in "5ta.tu
na4cendi. " . In th i s s ituat i on a crack m y a p pear very s udde nly. Only if it is
very to ug h a nd e l ast i c n th e eal an t s till bri dge ove r t h e c r ck and only
if i t i s thic k en oug h (F i g. 6 ).
Techn i c 1 d a t a f or Wa st ol a n s e a lan t s r e giv e n in Table 3.
174

Fig . 13 Wa s to la n r einforced wi th fl eece u nd e r t nsi.on. The c r ck h s bee n

op e n ed fr o m 0 to 40 mm wit hout fa llu re o f t h e seal a nt. The se al a nt
has l ost adhes i on to the subs t r at fr om 20 - 40 mm f r om t h s l it.
 175

Table 3 Technical data for Wastolan sealants.

Wastolan W1 i te Wastolan
acryl ic resip polych loroprene

Number of canponent s: 2 (100 : 30)

Potlife: 2 hours, 20°C

Densi ty: 1300 kg/ m3 1250 kg / m3

by weight: (DIN 53219) 70%

Sol ids content

by volume: 60 % 50 %

pH-value: 8 - 9 10
Cha rg e 0 f the erru 1 s ion: non ionic anionic

Terrperature of film-forming:

Resi stance to heat (D IN 52123) + 130°C passed

o 0
Resistance to cold (DIN 52123) 15 C passed 35 C passed

Elongation at break (DIN 53571) 250% 650 %

(without fleece, 1.5rrmthick film)

1.5 kg~
2
lvt:txi rrum thi ckne s s of 1aye r 1.0 kg/m
applied in one operation 1 150 fum wet 800 fum wet
700 /u.'TI dry 400 fum dry

Conditions for airless spraying 5 bar, nozzl e width 5 bar, nozzle width
0.79 rrm 1.09r.m
(without fleece) 1: 45, i nt t tal pressure 1:60, initial pressure

Spraying wi th air ccmpressor

for 6 bar 5 - 6 bar, 5 - 6 bar,
(1200 L airAnin) nozzl e width 1.02 rrm nozzl e width 1.02 rrm

Resistance to very goed, no change good but

UV-l ight of colour change of colour
2 2
Hp-vapor permeabi 1 i ty 3.2 g / m . d appro 0.4 g /m . d
1.5 rrm film 2.5 rrm film
Cleaning agents
Wet errulsion: water soft water
dry polymer: butyldiglycolacetate, a rorra tic 0 il s
ethylglycolacetate

Wastolan Fleeces
The main features of fleeces were described above (Section 3). It must be
emphasized that the fleeces have to be totally isotropic and very elastic or
176

otherwise they do not give the necessary elastic quality to the Wastolan to
resist all forces caused by movement of the building in all directions.
Furthermore the fleece must be very soft so that it fits in all unevenesses of
2
the surface. The normal weight of the fleece is approximately 150 g/m and it
is available in rolls of 300 m length and 420 cm width.

Barument
Barument is a mortar made with acrylic resin despersion instead of
water. The mortar is made by mixing 1 part by volume of cement and 2 parts
by volume of dry sand. 1 part by volume of Barument emulsion is added and
the ingredients are mixed until a pasty mortar is formed. Then water is
added very carefully in small amounts. The viscosity of the mortar is very
sensitive to the quantity of water added (Fig. 15) There is less danger of
craCi<lrlg 'h e less water is added. The mortar gets stiff rather fast and dries
quickly. A certain ·"''ll ume concentration is unavoidable. Though rather highly
viscous, the mortar flows into a 11 holes, joints and cracks. Before it is
applied into cavities these must be t reatt!d with a primer {l part by volume
of Barument dispersion with 2 parts by volume of water}. The adhesion is so
good that under strain the material cracks in Hself rather than loosen from
concrete. After drying the mortar produces a very elastic (Fig. 14:' and
hydrophobic material.
 177

Fig. 14 A sample (4 x 4 x 16 cm ) of Ba r u me nt is tested under DIN 1164. It

is obvio us how muc h it ca n be b e nt wit ho ut b re ak ing.

Bei ng n acryli c resin dispersio n Barumen t is comp tib le wit h t he

W stola n Sys tem . I t is high l y elastIc , h as good ad h esion a nd is a v ery g od
se l an e. Tec hmca l d a ta for Ba r u me nt is g i ven i.i"l Ta ble 4 .
178

Table 4 Technical data for Barument.

Density: appro 1.04 kg/m3

Charge: nonionic

pH-value: 7.5 - 9.0

So: id con ten t by weight 56 ~
by volume 54 %

Vi scosi ty: 200 - 350 rrPa' s

Terrperature of film-footing

Colour of film: t ransparant, colourless

Density of dry mortar,

3
28 days old: 1900 - 2000 kg/m

for the follClYling test 10 % water is added to the mo rtar 2

bendi ng strength after 7 days: 1.8 N/~
after 28 days: 6.9 N/mm
2
n.Lshi ng strength after 7 days: 3.6 N/mm 2
after 28 days: 13.0 N/mm

Samples were so ela s tic that the values ate difficult to measure.
 179

flattening
20 in em
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
10 aJ lJ 40 5060 70 00 90 1m 1fJ1aJ 13] 14J 150
added water in ml

Fig. 15 Barument Mortar becanes the lower viscous the more water is added. The
consistency is me as ured by a compression test (D IN 1060).

5. REQUIREMENTS AND TEST METHODS OF SEALANTS FOR GRA IN STORAGE

There are three different aspects of testing and proving sealant
materials:
a) Conditions and features of application and storage
b) The physical properties relating to sealing and resistance against all
sorts of influences and ageing.
c) The requirements that the sealants be safe for use in contact with
foodstuffs.

For the first two items there are many national standard methods ( e g.
ASTM, AS, DIN, FTM, BSl.
180

The test methods used here are mostly based on DIN standards because
Wastolan is a German development. However, both types of Wastolan were
tested by CBH in Australia on the basis of Australian Standards (AS). The
standards used by many other nations are similar.
It is much more difficult to set proper standards for the use of p.olymers
in sealing materials which have contact with foods. Of course there are
several nations which have strict regulations and laws in this regard, but
they often differ a lot and are more or less severe. In addition, copies of the
regulations are difficult to obtain. Here only German requirements can be
cited. These were published by the "Kunststoff-Kommission des
Bundesgesundheitsamtes" (Plastics Committee of the German Federal Health
Office). Polychloroprene and acrylic resins may be readily used if they are
fully cured. Wastolan, moreover, does not contain any agents which are
contrary to these German rules. So no influence is to be expected on the
grain by the sealant Wastolan.