Located off O’Connell Street in Dublin, the ILAC Centre has recently undergone a €60m refurbishment and has been transformed into a bright and airy shopping venue. Dublin City Council approached Larsen Contracts to undertake work to Level 1 of the Car Park’s expansion joints due to the wear and tear of the heavy traffic that pass through on a day-to-day basis.

In order to repair the expansion joints, a saw cut had to be run under the vacuum of each side of the existing joint to break out the asphalt and concrete to a depth of 25mm minimum to the concrete slab. The concrete slab had to be mechanically prepared using a von arc scabbler under vacuum to attain a key for the new Sika combi-flex bandage. On completion of the preparation work, the joint detail had to be cleaned. Sikadur 31 rapid was then applied to each side of the joint at 2mm deep leaving the centre line of the joint free for further movement. A new 200mm Combi-flex bandage was fitted along the run of the joint and rolled into position to ensure adhesion.

A second layer of Sikadur 31 was applied to ensure the centre line was free of adhesive to allow movement in the structure. The epoxy had to be left overnight to cure and the next day Degafloor 50/51 mortar was applied to make good the levels with the existing level of the Car Park and fill the expansion joint with a polysulphide mastic to leave a level flush finish.