Waterproofing

Muhammad Salman
Department of Civil Engineering
IIT Bombay
Waterproofing
• We Need Waterproofing for:
• Durability of Structure
• Durability of reinforced concrete
• Hygiene factor
• Protection of installations and facilities
Waterproofing
• Basic waterproofing and envelope design incorporates three steps to
ensure a watertight and environmentally sound interior:

• Understanding water sources likely to be encountered.

• Designing systems to prevent leakage from these sources.

• Finalizing the design by properly detailing each individual envelope

component into adjacent components.
Terminology
LEAKAGE
• Continuous flow of water.

SEEPAGE-
• Formation of water globules on
water surface with occasional droplets
DAMPNESS –
• visible moisture and wetness felt by palm

The main difference is the quantum of flow between each.

Waterproofing
Available water is moved into the interior of a structure by numerous
forces that include
• Natural gravity
• Surface tension Above grade

• Wind/air currents
• Capillary action Below grade
• Hydrostatic pressure
Waterproofing components
• Sloped concrete decks
• Down spouts
• Damp proof course
• Coping and drip
• Water repellant masonry
• Water repellant mortar
• Flashings
• Reglet/sealant
• Drainage mats/board
• French drain
Sloped concrete decks
• Slabs generally have a gradient of 1/100.
• For above-grade envelope components, horizontal areas are very prone to
gravitational forces and never should be designed completely flat. Water
must be drained away from the structure as quickly as possible, and this
includes walkways, balconies, and other necessary “flat” areas.
• In building components such as these, a minimum 1/50 of slope should be
incorporated
Down spouts
• The purpose of a
downspout is to
allow water from a
gutter to reach the
ground without
dripping or splashing
down the building
structure.
Damp proof course
• DPC barriers are required when
constructing new buildings to
prevent rising damp.
• Materials for DPC
• Flexible Materials: Materials like
bitumen felts (which may be hessian
based or fiber/glass fiber-based), plastic
sheeting (polythene sheets), etc.
• Semi-rigid Materials: Materials like
mastic, asphalt, or a combination of
materials or layers.
• Rigid Materials: Materials like first-
class bricks, stones, slate, cement
concrete (with integral waterproofing
compound), etc.
Coping and drip
• Coping in construction means
covering the exposed top of
the roof or wall with a layer of
stone, bricks, terracotta, or
concrete. Generally, Coping
keep the building safe from
seepage of water during
rainfall and bad weather
conditions.
• To facilitate the drainage of
water from the coping, a
groove is cut on the
underside which is called
drip course.
Water repellant masonry
• Water repellents: Water repellents are used
on exterior walls to provide resistance to
wind-driven rain. Water repellents penetrate
into the masonry, coating the cracks, holes,
nooks, and crannies of the bricks and mortar.
By doing this, a continuous barrier is not
formed but the masonry is still protected
against water.
Flashings
• Flashing refers to thin pieces of impervious material installed
to prevent the passage of water into a structure from a joint
or as part of a weather resistant barrier system.
• In modern buildings, flashing is intended to decrease water
penetration at objects such as chimneys, vent pipes, walls,
windows and door openings to make buildings more durable
and to reduce indoor mold problems.
• Counter-flashing (or cover flashing, cap flashing) is a term
used when there are two parallel pieces of flashing employed
together such as on a chimney, where the counter-flashing is
built into the chimney and overlaps a replaceable piece of
base flashing.
• Metal flashing materials include lead, aluminium, copper,
stainless steel, zinc alloy, and other materials. Types of flexible
flashing products are rubberized asphalt, butyl rubber,
polyvinylidene fluoride (sometimes known as kylar or hylar),
and acrylic.
Reglet/sealant
• It is a groove cut within a mortar
joint that receives counter-flashing
meant to cover surface flashing used
to deflect water infiltration.
Drainage mats
• A drainage board, or drainage mat, helps water
flow away from the foundation.Without it, water
can stay trapped against the concrete or pool at
the bottom. Drainage mats come with a dimpled
design that lets water accumulate and flow away,
creating an air gap.
French drain
• A French drain is a gravel-filled trench that
includes a perforated or slotted pipe. These drains
are used to direct surface water or groundwater
away from a specific area, such as a home's
foundation.
 Brick bat coba

Laying of Protective Coat

Application of Slurry and Base Coat

Covering the protective
coat with tiles (China
mosaic)
Placing of Brick Bat
Polymer modified cement based waterproofing
systems (Integral waterproofing (IWP) material)
• Types
• Acrylic based
• SBR/Latex based

• Advantages
• Fully bonded
• Easy to apply
• Cost effective
• Limitations
• Limited performance in terms of elongation, crack bridging
• Quality control is difficult
Test methods to be adopted for evaluating
the waterproofing mortars
• Water absorption
• Water permeability
• Chloride permeability
• Adhesion to the base strata
• Effect of weathering
Some more test methods for evaluation of
waterproofing component
• Compressive Strength
• Flexural Strength
• Drying shrinkage
• Capillary absorption
• Water vapour permeability
Two component polymer modified coatings
• Description • Limitations
• Two component acrylic based • Ideal for smaller areas
cementitious coatings • Cannot sustain structural movements
• Application by Brush or Spray machine • No UV resistant capabilities
• Powder & liquid mixed in fixed ratio • No root resistant properties
e.g.: 3 (powder) : 1(liquid)
• Pot Life : min. 30 - 45 Minutes
• Advantages
• High level of quality control
• Good elongation properties 50 –
150%
• Good water head pressure capabilities
APP / SBS Membranes
• Description
• Pre-formed membranes.
• Basically asphalt modified with either SBS or
APP
• SBS = Styrene Butandiene styrene
• APP = Atactic polypropylene
• Advantages
• High elongation, fully bonded membranes
• Root resistance capabilities.
• Limitations
• Tends to become brittle and crack
• Joints tend to open up in the long run
• Requires intricate detailing at terminations.
• Requires UP protection coat
• Generally, not trafficable
 Two component spray applied hybrid
polyurethane

Laying of M15 grade

PU Waterproofing Layer
concrete screed laid to
being spray applied
slope

Epoxy Primer Application Sand Broadcasting

U.V. Stable Top Coat for

exposed areas