Method Statement

Application of MASTERSEAL® 345

sprayable waterproofing membrane

R. Brandenberger
K.G. Holter
T. Kothe
August 2006
MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

Content

1 General 3

2. Surface Requirement 3
2.1. Optimising sprayed concrete surface texture 3
2.2. Surface cleaning and substrate temperature 4

3. Wet spot Management 5

3.1 Drainage / Half pipe solution 5
3.2 Injection 6
3.3 Drainage through small drill holes 6
3.4 Pre spraying with MASTERSEAL 845A 7

4. Overlapping between PVC sheet membrane 8

5. Spraying Equipment 8

6. Check list before start spraying 9

7. Spraying start up and close-down procedure 10

8. Conditions for successful spraying 10

9. Application 11
9.1 Manual application 11
9.2 Manual and remote controlled robotig application 11
9.3 Fully computerized robotic application 12

10. Quality Control 14

11. Applying sprayed concrete to MASTERSEAL® 345 membrane 15

12. Training 16

13. Safety with MASTERSEAL® 345 17

14. Cleaning 17

15. Storage 17

16. Packing 17

17

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

1. General

This document has been produced by BASF UGC International for the application of
MASTERSEAL® 345, a spray applied waterproofing membrane for underground
structures.

This Method Statement is generic, and should be adapted to local site conditions to suit
specific requirements and actual conditions where appropriate.

2. Surface Requirements

2.1. Optimising sprayed concrete surface texture

MASTERSEAL® 345 may be applied to all sprayed concrete surfaces, however the
speed of application will be reduced and the amount of membrane material used will
increase.

To make the MASTERSEAL® 345 spray applied membrane cure faster and be more
cost effective, it is advised to ensure the surface to receive the membrane is as smooth
as possible. This does not necessarily mean the sprayed concrete surface has to be
screeded or float finished, but adherence to the following guidelines would be beneficial
from the outset of the sprayed concrete works:

• Maximise the effort in establishing a good combined grading of the sprayed

concrete aggregates. If possible choose a maximum aggregate size of between 4
and 8mm as indicated in Figure 1 (Blue envelope).
0.125

0.25

IS O S ie v e
0.5

16
2

4
1

100 100 100

90 90 90

80
P ercentage passing

72 73
70

60
55
50 50

40
37

30
26
22
20
12
10 11

4
0 0 .0 1 0 .1 1 1 0 1 0 0

B S S ie v e
0.075

0.15

0.3

0.6

1.18

2.36
3.35
5
6.3

10
14
20

37.5

P a rtic le s iz e (m m )

Figure 1: Combined grading for sprayed concrete

• Ensure that you have the correct accelerator-cement combination that allows
reasonable setting characteristics when sprayed. As demonstrated in Figure 2, poor
setting will cause the sprayed concrete surface to be pitted or have large craters.
This is not ideal for MASTERSEAL® 345 application.
• If you cannot get a suitable sprayed concrete surface with the primary sprayed
concrete layer, then apply a thin regulating sprayed concrete layer, using concrete
sand (0 to 4mm) as the aggregate, as suggested in Figure 2.
• MASTERSEAL® 345 can be sprayed directly over fibre reinforced sprayed
concrete.

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

Good sprayed concrete surface finish

Apply 3 to 4kg/m2 (dry powder) for an average
3mm sprayable membrane thickness

Moderate surface finish - not a “moon” surface!

Apply 4 to 6kg/m2 (dry powder) for an average
Possible benefit in applying regulating layer 3mm sprayable membrane thickness

Where sprayed concrete surface is very poor,

a 4mm aggregate based sprayed concrete
finishing layer is advised, to keep material
consumption low

Apply 3 to 4kg/m2 (dry powder) for an average

3mm sprayable membrane thickness

6 6
5
Consumption
of dry powder 4
4
for average
3 3
3mm thick
membrane 2
(kg)
1

0
4mm 8mm 16mm
Degree of surface roughness

Figure 2: MASTERSEAL® 345 consumption depends on the surface roughness

2.2. Surface cleaning and substrate temperature

Before Applying the MASTERSEAL® 345 membrane, the sprayed concrete surface has
to be thoroughly cleaned and pre-wetted using compressed air (without oil
contamination) and water jetting. No free standing water should be visible, but should
be damp. Any contamination of the surface must be removed, such as dust, oil, soot

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

and loose particles etc. The substrate and ambient temperature during application
should be between +5oC and +40oC.

If an external curing agent has been applied to the sprayed concrete, this must be
thoroughly removed before applying the membrane, preferably by high pressure water.

3. Wet spot management

As with all spray applied products, it is not possible to seal against active water ingress
through the substrate. However, damp sections of substrate without visible water
ingress may be sprayed over with MASTERSEAL® 345. Active water should be either
pre-sealed by injection, or managed by drainage systems, such as:

3.1 Drainage solutions

• Installation of MASTERSEAL® DR1 Drainage Fleece. Please refer to Application

Guide for MASTERSEAL® DR1
• Half-round drainage channels fixed to surface of sprayed concrete, as indicated in
Figure 3
•
Drainage solutions general
• Should be as narrow as possible
• Should be practical to install
• Needs to be fixed firmly and very well so no vibrations occur when spraying
membrane
• Half pipes or rubber hose cut longitudinally can be installed very locally only
where needed
Drainage half pipe
Nails
MASTERSEAL 345 Mortar (sprayed)

Water

Sprayed concrete

Figure 3: Installation detail of half-round drainage pipes

®
Figure 4: MASTERSEAL DR1 stripe fixed with Hilti nails and plastic or metal stripe

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

3.2 Injections

Significant water ingress points should be removed with injections if possible. One can
use several types of injections depending on the type of water ingress and joint
characteristics. 1-component polyurethane (MEYCO® MP355 1K) or an acrylate
(MEYCO® MP308) are the two injection systems which normally are the most suitable
for this purpose.

Chemical injection through relief pipes or packers after application of final concrete
lining

Figure 5: Cracks injected with PU foam Spots and drops injected with Acrylic gel

3.3 Drainage through small drill holes – subsequent injections

A combination of drainage and injections might also be good solution. Before the
spraying of membrane, small drill holes (e.g. diameter 10mm, length 30-50 cm) are
drilled into the seeping point with the intention of collecting as much as possible of the
seeping water in the hole. One might need to drill several holes in an area in order to
achieve this effect.

After the holes have been drilled, small packers (like BASF Jet-packers) are installed
and fitted with a 10 cm long rubber hose for protection. The packers are left open so
the water can run through the packer. The membrane can then be sprayed onto the wet
area. The holes with packers will then provide a temporary drainage through the
membrane, and hence favourable curing conditions are achieved. In this way proper
curing at the membrane-substrate interface can be ensured.

After the curing of the membrane (minimum shore hardness 60), the packers can be
injected. If there is a significant water pressure, one should consider to apply the
covering layer of sprayed concrete before injecting the packers. In this way the
complete sandwich structure is in place when the membrane is exposed to the
complete water seepage situation

The figure below illustrates this method.

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

Rock

Drillhole

Sprayed
concrete

Jet-packer

Water collected in Masterseal 345 applied after

drillhole & packer the installation of packers

Figure 6:.Temporary drainage of small seepages through 1000 mm drillholes and

jetpackers. The holes are injected either ahter the curing of the membrane or after the
application of covering sprayed concrete.

3.4 Pre-spraying (priming) with Masterseal® 845A

Masterseal® 845A (TSL, thin sprayable liner for rock support) is a rapider reacting
sprayable membrane than Masterseal® 345. It can be used for the pre-spraying, or
priming, with the intention of blocking smaller water seepages. This method should
however only be used in combination with a drainage measure, i.e. for the closing
around drainage channels or stripes where small water seepages might occur.

Pre-spraying with Masterseal® 845A in areas where small drainage holes with packers
have been established can be a successful way of sealing off small water seepages in
combination with temporary drainage.

It is not recommended to use Masterseal® 845A for priming without including a drainage
measure.

In all cases, a practical solution must be adapted to each individual case, and
should be strictly implemented on site.

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

4. Overlapping between sheet membranes

In the overlapping area put mortar (4mm) on the surface (30-40cm), because in this
area the surface must be even. Fix the sheet membrane with a soft steel stripe
(approx.30mm wide) and nails on this area.
Important: the sheet membrane must be streched very well, without waves and folds
along the cutting. Successively spray MASTERSEAL® 345 over sheet membrane and
steel stripe, everything must be covered with a minimum width approx.40-50cm
Note: the overlapping area should be in a dry area and®the sheet membrane must be
clean. MASTERSEAL 345

Membrane

Steel stripe approx. 40mm

sheet membrane

Mortar
Figure 7:

5. Spraying Equipment

MASTERSEAL® 345 shall be applied by the dry spraying method with an air /electrical
driven pump only, such as with a MEYCO® Piccola or similar., In order to ensure a
controllable low output, the equipment must meet the following specification:
• Rotor 12 round hole 90 mm high
• Rotor base 90 mm coupling
• Water seperator
• Rotor dust collector 90 mm high coupling
• Spraying nozzle DIA 32 mm (plastic tip with collar/conical) with 18 hole water ring
• Spraying hose DIA 32 mm

Hopper should be
covered when
material is filled

Figure 8: MEYCO® Piccola dry spray unit with dust

filter

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 MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

Two valve nozzle

Standard nozzle

needle valve ball valve

Figure 9: Standard double valve nozzle configuration required for successful MASTERSEAL® 345
application

• It is required to use two valves on the water line on the nozzle. The first valve is a
needle valve for fine control of water dosage, the second being a ball valve for on –
off control. Please refer to Figure 4.

The MEYCO® Piccola or chosen spray equipment must be fitted with a dust collection
filter, or similar dust collection system, as shown in Figure 5. Care should be taken not
to create excessive dust when filling the hopper of the pumps.

6. Check list before starting spraying

The following are required prior to spraying:

Air volume min. 10m3 /minute, (air driven equipment), air pressure min. 7 bar
Air volume min. 6m3 /minute, (electiric driven equipment), air pressure min. 7
bar
Water: normal tab water pressure (6 bar)
Adequate lighting to illuminate who area of application (floodlights not cap
lamps!)
Suitable lifting platforms should be provided to ensure quality and safe
MASTERSEAL® 345 application.

Important: The compressor should be equipped with a dewatering or dehumidification

device on the outlet side.
Some times air supply is frequently full of condensation water. Such water will cause
problems by build-up of hardened MASTERSEAL® 345 in the Piccola rotor or in the
nozzle. Such build-up may be very difficult to remove and can cause unnecessary
practical problems and downtimes.

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

7. Spraying start-up and close-down procedure

The following procedure should be implemented for all applications:

• Start water
• Start air
• Start MASTERSEAL® 345 feed
• Apply product to substrate
• Shut-off MASTERSEAL® 345 feed
• When clear, turn of air
• Finally, shut off water

100 Figure 6 32mm nozzle

Membrane quality

80 safety zone Recommended zone safety zone

NOTE: Under no circumstances should MASTERSEAL® 345 be sprayed without
the addition
60 of water at the nozzle.
40 Application problems could occur:
slow curing
20 overhead spraying
layer thickness
0
25 30 40 50 65 70

Water amount % of powder weight

Figure 10: Water addition and performance of cured membrane

Water addition must be between 30 and 50% by product weight, as this represents the
optimal operating condition as presented in Figure 6. Preliminary site tests must be
undertaken with the actual equipment to be used for the project, with the powder to
water output settings established to achieve this recommended water addition.

Normal consumption speed: powder 8-10 kg/min./ water 3-4 litre/minute.

8. Conditions for successful spraying

For the successful application of MASTERSEAL® 345 spray applied membrane, the
following circumstances are important:

• Air temperature (should be above 5°C). The product once applied should not be
allowed to freeze during it’s full curing period (28days).
• Air humidity (optimal below 90% relative humidity)
• Ventilation (optimal with more than 1 m/s air flow speed)

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

9. Application

9.1 Manual application

The pump must be completely dry before spraying can commence. Test run the pump
(empty). Then fill the hopper with MASTERSEAL® 345 directly from the bag. Then ,
consecutively water, air and product are turned on. When the MASTERSEAL® 345 is
coming out of the nozzle, spray it on a test wall in order to adjust the pump output.
Initially, the pump output should be as slow as possible. The air output at the nozzle
should give sufficient pressure to create a direct fine spray at 2 m nozzle distance. After
a while, the pump output can be raised. As a guide, it should be possible to operate the
nozzle manually without difficulty caused by too high air pressure.
Spraying distances for both manual and robotic applications should typically be
between 1.5 and 2.5m (as indicated in Figure 7), and be carried out in parallel strokes.
Subsequent coats should be sprayed in a direction perpendicular to the previous coat.
Manipulation of the nozzle should be such as to promote the full coverage of the

Figure 11: MASTERSEAL® 345 spraying

MASTERSEAL® 345 into the surface texture of the substrate.

Overlap spraying onto adjacent sprayed (and cured) areas of MASTERSEAL® 345 is
simply achieved by spraying an overlap width of 20 to 30cm. The cured underlying
membrane should be cleaned of all loose material and dust prior to the application of
the fresh MASTERSEAL® 345.

9.2 Manual and remote controlled robotic application

Hand application is the most common and appropriate way for small diameter tunnels.
To meet the given nozzle-substrate distance it might be necessary to apply manually
from a lifting platform. In such cases we can also recommend to install the nozzle to an
remote controlled robotic arm such as spray manipulator
MEYCO® RAMA 4. Usually three operators are needed for the application of the
membrane. One controls the nozzle. The second manages the feeding hoses for the
nozzle man and performs thickness control, as well as prevents possible mistakes
during the application. The third person operates the pump.

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

9.3 Fully computerized robotic application

On large scale applications there is a clear advantage to apply MASTERSEAL® 345

with a fully automatic robotic system like MEYCO® Robojet LOGICA. This system
guaranties a constant and defined thickness. By evaluation of the surface area and
profile a precise consumption control can be achieved. An application of
MASTERSEAL® 345 with a MEYCO® Robojet LOGICA can be operated by one man
only, feeding the connected MEYCO® PICCOLA. For technical details regarding the
operation of MEYCO® Robojet LOGICA, please refer to the operation manual.

Figure 12: Application of Masterseal® 345 by MEYCO ® Robojet Logica

MASTERSEAL® 345 will be applied by mechanized (robotic) spraying with the MEYCO
LOGICA POTENZA. This application method consists of the following elements:

- The spraying nozzle is mounted onto a robotic manipulator (lance) which is

controlled remotely
- The surface which is to be sprayed is scanned (digitally recorded) in steps of
3 m length in the tunnel
- The application of the membrane is done in fully automatic mode with the
spraying manipulator, which will apply the membrane accurately and
consistently onto the scanned surface with a consistent amount of spray
applied membrane per m2.

This offers the following main advantages:

- High output
- Consistent membrane thickness
- Easier to perform a good quality control with respect to membrane thickness
- Lower consumption of product due to less variation in thickness
- Better working environment

For the detailed operation of this machine, please refer to “Users manual for MEYCO®
LOGICA POTENZA”. Operation of this machine shall be by BASF authorised operators
only.

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

For the spray application of MASTERSEAL® 345, the following sequence of operations
applies:

- Scanning of the surface which is to be sprayed

- Pre-wetting of the surface to be sprayed by the spraying of water through
the nozzle
- Start spraying with the pre-determined parameters nozzle distance, lance
speed and pump speed
- When the manipulator reaches the end of the scanned area, switch off the
product pump, water and air in this order of sequence
- Position the machine for the next section to be scanned

In order to achieve the correct material consumption during the spraying and hence, the
correct and consistent thickness of the membrane, the correct nozzle distance, lance
speed as well as the output speed of the material pump has to be set. This is done in
an initial spraying exercise in which one must carefully monitor the spraying picture on
the substrate wall.

This exercise can be done in the following manner (see Figure 6) :

- Set the nozzle distance to 2 m

- Set the lance speed to 0.15 m/s
- Start spraying and adjust the pump speed to a complete coverage (by visual
inspection from the invert) is achieved
- Verify these result by dense spot measurements of the sprayed thickness
- Adjust the pump speed up or down accordingly
- Record these parameters as fixed values

Figure 13: Mechanized application of MASTERSEAL® 345 with MEYCO LOGICA, principal sketch of
parameters to determine.Planar view from above.

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

Figure 14: Mechanized spraying of MASTERSEAL® 345 with MEYCO LOGICA in operation.

10. Quality Control

There are a number of ways the thickness of the applied membrane can be quality
controlled. These methods should all be included on site prepared Quality Check
Sheets for each section of tunnel sprayed. The following are suggested:

The control of the thickness of the applied MASTERSEAL® 345 takes place by
continuous spot checks by the second person on the working platform. This
check is essential for achieving the desired minimum thickness.
Consumption rates for a given area are used to indicate overall average
thickness of MASTERSEAL® 345 applied.
Wet film thickness tests can be performed systematically during spraying and
recorded using a caliper gauge as shown in Figure 8.
The membrane can be cut out in small inspection areas (say 5cm x 5cm) after
curing to check condition and thickness. These inspection areas can be repaired
easily by hand application or spraying of MASTERSEAL® 345.

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

Figure 15: Thickness control may be achieved using calliper gauge as shown above

To monitor the curing and oversprayability at job sites we recommend to measure the
Shore A hardness of the applied membrane according to DIN 53505 or ASTM D 676.
To avoid additional measurement errors, the installation of frequent measurement spots
is recommended. Such spots shall have an even surface, and being water repellant to
have a worse case scenario. A simple 10cm*10cm metal plate fulfills the requirement of
such a spot.
The shore is evaluated with standard Shore A equipment like shown in Fig. 9.
Table 1 gives an overview of the achieved curing status:

Figure. 16 Shore A equipment

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

Table 1: Curing status of MASTERSEAL® 345 according to Shore A.

Shore A Curing status of MASTERSEAL® 345 Achieved at 20°C

65% rH after:
Not measurable First skin, very soft. 1h
5-10 Skin, slightly sticky, still pasty. 2h
15-25 Recommendation not to overspray before 6h
achieving this shore. Sufficient adherence
is achieved, material is partly brittle
30-40 Homogenous fully cured membrane. High 20h
residual water amount softens the
material.
75-85 Fully cured and dried membrane. >10 d
Figure: 17

11. Applying sprayed concrete to MASTERSEAL® 345 membrane

Sprayed concrete can be directly applied onto the MASTERSEAL® 345 after it has
cured sufficiently. In most conditions is feasible to spray the second layer after 1 –
2 days. Temperature and humidity will influence the speed of curing. To avoid undue
stresses and potential cracking, all sprayed concrete linings shall be constructed
starting at the footing and working towards the crown of the tunnel. The sprayed
concrete will bond to the membrane surface. It is essential that the membrane has
reached a certain time of curing before application of shotcrete.
Important: Second lining should be based at the bottom, otherwise it is possible
to get cracks in the concrete.

The use of steel fibre reinforced sprayed concrete as the final layer will not cause any
damage to the membrane.

Alternatively, a cast concrete layer may cover the membrane.

12. Training

All operatives involved with the application of MASTERSEAL® 345 should undergo
specific on-site training by BASF UGC Representatives before application in the tunnel
commences.

The training program should include classroom sessions to highlight specific details and
critical operations, followed by practical application at a trial section until the operative
and product performance is satisfactory.

For a more precise visual guideline of equipment set up and application also
refer to our MASTERSEAL® Application CD (April 2005)

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MASTERSEAL® 345 Method Statement – August 2006

13. Safety with MASTERSEAL® 345

When working with MASTERSEAL® 345, in addition to standard personal protective

equipment required for underground work, operatives require eye protection, dust
masks and gloves.

For the operation of working platforms and pumping equipment refer to local or national
rules for this equipment.

As with all tunnel construction operations, it is the duty of the contractor/sub-contractor

engaged with the application of MASTERSEAL® 345 to produce and implement a risk
assessment prior to commencing the work.

14. Cleaning

All equipment must be thoroughly cleaned after each working shift otherwise the
material performance will be reduced and excessive dust production may occur during
spraying.
Coarse sand (0-4mm) pumped through the entire equipment can remove
MASTERSEAL® 345 build up. However, inspection must be carried out to ensure all
parts are clean.

15. Storage

MASTERSEAL® 345 has a shelf life of 12 months if stored in original, unopened bags
between +5°C to +40°C.

16. Packaging
®
MASTERSEAL 345 is supplied in 20 kg x 50 plastic bags on a
pallet

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