ISO 4635:2011

Rubber, vulcanized - Preformed joint seals for use between concrete paving sections of highways - Specification

ISO 4635:2011 specifies requirements for material for preformed vulcanized rubber joint seals used between concrete paving sections of highways. It is applicable to seals for joints in new concrete highways as well as to maintenance work on such highways. It does not cover the design or dimensions of seals, but general requirements for finished seals are given.

Caoutchouc vulcanisé — Joints d'étanchéité préformés utilisés entre les dalles en béton des routes — Spécifications

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 02-Feb-2011
• ICS: 83.140.50 - Seals
• ICS: 91.100.50 - Binders. Sealing materials
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 45/SC 4 - Products (other than hoses)
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 45/SC 4/WG 2 - Rubber seals
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 28-Oct-2021
• Completion Date: 27-Dec-2025

Relations

• Revises: ISO 4635:1982 - Rubber, vulcanized - Preformed compression seals for use between concrete motorway paving sections - Specification for material
• Effective Date: 15-Apr-2008

Overview

ISO 4635:2011 specifies material and performance requirements for preformed vulcanized rubber joint seals used between concrete paving sections of highways. It covers seals for both new construction and maintenance work but does not set specific seal designs or dimensions - instead it defines general requirements for finished seals (material properties, durability and functional behaviour). The standard is based on experience with chloroprene (CR) and ethylene‑propylene‑diene monomer (EPDM) rubber and emphasizes ozone resistance, dimensional quality, and long‑term performance.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Material and appearance: Seals shall be made of ozone‑resistant rubber and be black in colour; reliance on surface coatings for ozone protection is not permitted.
• Hardness classification: Five IRHD hardness classes (nominal classes 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80) with a maximum hardness variation of ±5 IRHD over a 5 m length.
• Mechanical properties: Specified minimum tensile strength and elongation at break per hardness class (e.g., higher elongation required for softer grades).
• Compression set: Limits at elevated (+70 °C) and low (−25 °C) temperatures to ensure seal recovery after compression.
• Aging and environmental resistance: Accelerated ageing (72 h at 100 °C) limits for changes in hardness, tensile strength and elongation; ozone resistance tested under standard conditions (no cracking).
• Stress relaxation and recovery: Long‑term stress relaxation in compression (100 days at 50 °C) and recovery performance at low and elevated temperatures are specified.
• Effect of water: Volume change limits after immersion (e.g., 0 to +5% after 168 h).
• Protection against over‑extension: Option to include fiber reinforcement with defined activation/break characteristics.
• Functional testing: Optional cold‑climate functional tests and requirements for marking, labelling and storage.

Applications and who uses this standard

ISO 4635:2011 is used by:

• Highway engineers and pavement designers specifying joint seals for new roads and rehabilitation projects.
• Seal manufacturers and compound formulators to develop and certify preformed vulcanized rubber profiles (CR, EPDM).
• Quality inspectors and testing laboratories performing hardness, tensile, compression set, ageing, ozone and water‑effect tests.
• Procurement and public works agencies writing technical specifications for highway joint materials.

Practical benefits include improved watertightness of joints, predictable long‑term performance under traffic and climate exposure, and consistent quality control for highway sealing systems.

Related standards

Normative references include ISO 37 (tensile tests), ISO 48 (IRHD hardness), ISO 188 (accelerated ageing), ISO 815 (compression set), ISO 1431 (ozone testing), ISO 1817 (effect of liquids), ISO 2230 (storage) and ISO 3302‑1 (dimensional tolerances). These referenced standards define the specific test methods used to verify compliance with ISO 4635:2011.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 4635
Second edition
2011-02-15
Rubber, vulcanized — Preformed joint
seals for use between concrete paving
sections of highways — Specification
Caoutchouc vulcanisé — Joints d'étanchéité préformés utilisés entre les
dalles en béton des routes — Spécifications

Reference number
©
ISO 2011
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.

©  ISO 2011
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2011 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope.1
2 Normative references.1
3 Terms and definitions .2
4 Classification .2
5 Test pieces and temperature of test.3
6 Requirements.3
6.1 General .3
6.2 Dimensional tolerances .3
6.3 Imperfections and defects.3
6.4 Hardness .3
6.5 Tensile strength and elongation at break .3
6.6 Compression set in air.4
6.7 Accelerated ageing in air.5
6.8 Stress relaxation in compression.5
6.9 Recovery at low and elevated temperatures .5
6.10 Low-temperature hardness change.5
6.11 Ozone resistance.5
6.12 Effect of water.6
6.13 Protection against over-extension .6
6.14 Functional testing for cold climates.7
7 Marking, labelling and storage.7
Annex A (normative) Recovery at low and elevated temperatures .8
Annex B (normative) Functional testing for cold climates.9

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 4635 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 45, Rubber and rubber products, Subcommittee
SC 4, Products (other than hoses).
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 4635:1982), which has been technically revised.
The main modifications are as follows:
⎯ The hardness classes have been changed from IRHD 55, IRHD 60, IRHD 65 and IRHD 70 to IRHD 40,
IRHD 50, IRHD 60, IRHD 70 and IRHD 80. Hardness tolerances have been added. Requirements have
been added for compression set at low temperature, stress relaxation in compression and protection
against over-extension.
⎯ Clauses have been included on functional testing for cold climates, the effect of water, and marking,
labelling and packaging.
⎯ The requirements for recovery at low and elevated temperatures have been changed. In addition, the
ozone resistance is now measured only under normal conditions (50 pphm ozone) and not under the
alternative severe conditions (200 pphm ozone).
⎯ The temperature at which the compression set at elevated temperature is measured has been changed
from 100 °C to 70 °C.
iv © ISO 2011 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 4635:2011(E)

Rubber, vulcanized — Preformed joint seals for use between
concrete paving sections of highways — Specification
CAUTION — Manufacturers shall ensure that emissions from their products of substances which
could be hazardous to health or to the environment are not in excess of the legally permitted level in
the country of use.
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies requirements for material for preformed vulcanized rubber joint seals
used between concrete paving sections of highways.
It is applicable to seals for joints in new concrete highways as well as to maintenance work on such highways.
It does not cover the design or dimensions of seals, but general requirements for finished seals are given.
NOTE This International Standard is based on experience with chloroprene (CR) rubber and ethylene-propylene-
diene monomer (EPDM) rubber.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 37, Rubber, vulcanized or thermoplastic — Determination of tensile stress-strain properties
ISO 48:2010, Rubber, vulcanized or thermoplastic — Determination of hardness (hardness between 10 IRHD
and 100 IRHD)
ISO 188, Rubber, vulcanized or thermoplastic — Accelerated ageing and heat resistance tests
ISO 815-1:2008, Rubber, vulcanized or thermoplastic — Determination of compression set — Part 1: At
ambient or elevated temperatures
ISO 815-2:2008, Rubber, vulcanized or thermoplastic — Determination of compression set — Part 2: At low
temperatures
ISO 1431-1, Rubber, vulcanized or thermoplastic — Resistance to ozone cracking — Part 1: Static and
dynamic strain testing
ISO 1817, Rubber, vulcanized — Determination of the effect of liquids
ISO 2230, Rubber products — Guidelines for storage
ISO 2285, Rubber, vulcanized or thermoplastic — Determination of tension set under constant elongation, and
of tension set, elongation and creep under constant tensile load
ISO 3302-1:1996, Rubber — Tolerances for products — Part 1: Dimensional tolerances
1)
ISO 3384:2005 , Rubber, vulcanized or thermoplastic — Determination of stress relaxation in compression at
ambient and at elevated temperatures
ISO 3387, Rubber — Determination of crystallization effects by hardness measurements
ISO 5893, Rubber and plastics test equipment — Tensile, flexural and compression types (constant rate of
traverse) — Specification
ISO 23529, Rubber — General procedures for preparing and conditioning test pieces for physical test
methods
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
joint
vertical discontinuity between the adjacent faces of paving slabs in a concrete highway, formed for the
purpose of providing some movement capability
3.2
joint chamber
cut made in the upper part of the joint to offer a seating for a preformed joint seal
NOTE The width of the chamber depends on the movement capability required of the preformed joint seal. The
bottom of the chamber supports the preformed joint seal, enabling it to withstand the vertical forces caused by traffic.
3.3
preformed joint seal
extruded (preformed) and vulcanized elastic rubber profile that, when inserted by special machines into the
joint chamber, is compressed by the adjacent surfaces of the paving slabs, thus filling the joint and preventing
the ingress of water
NOTE A fibre reinforcement can be incorporated in the preformed joint seal as additional protection against over-
extension.
3.4
international rubber hardness degree
IRHD
measure of hardness, the magnitude of which is derived from the depth of penetration of a specified indentor
into a test piece under specified conditions
NOTE 1 The reaction forces produced by compressed preformed joint seals depend on the geometry and hardness of
the seal. The higher the IRHD value, the higher the reaction force. The lower the IRHD value, the better the lips of the
rubber profile grip the surfaces of the joint chamber.
NOTE 2 ISO 48 specifies a method of measuring hardness in terms of IRHD values.
4 Classification
The hardness of materials for preformed joint seals shall be divided into five classes, as given in Table 1.
Table 1 — Hardness classification
Hardness class 40 50 60 70 80
Range of IRHD > 35 but u 45 > 45 but u 55 > 55 but u 65 > 65 but u 75 > 75 but u 85

1) Under revision as ISO 3384-1.
2 © ISO 2011 – All rights reserved

5 Test pieces and temperature of test
5.1 Unless otherwise specified, the test pieces shall be cut from the finished product by the method
specified in ISO 23529. If the test pieces specified in a particular test method cannot be prepared from the
finished seals, they shall be taken from moulded test slabs of suitable dimensions, made from the same batch
of material as used for the seal, and vulcanized under conditions which are comparable with the conditions
used in production.
5.2 Unless otherwise specified, the test shall be carried out at a standard laboratory temperature in
accordance with ISO 23529.
6 Requirements
6.1 General
6.1.1 The seal materials shall be made from an ozone-resistant rubber (see 6.11) and shall not depend for
ozone resistance solely on surface protection, as this can be removed by abrasion, detergents or other means.
6.1.2 The material shall be black.
6.2 Dimensional tolerances
The dimensions shall be determined in accordance with ISO 3302-1 and the result shall conform to class E1
or E2 as defined in ISO 3302-1:1996.
6.3 Imperfections and defects
Imperfections and defects shall be determined by visual inspection. The surfaces of preformed seals shall be
free of surface defects or irregularities, as these can affect their proper functioning.
6.4 Hardness
6.4.1 The hardness shall be determined in accordance with ISO 48:2010, method M. The result shall
conform to the relevant value given in Table 2, line 1.1.
6.4.2 In addition, make five measurements at points distributed at random over a 5 m length of the
preformed joint seal. The difference between the minimum and the maximum hardness shall not be more than
5 IRHD. Each value shall be within the range specified for the relevant hardness class (see Table 2, line 1.2).
6.5 Tensile strength and elongation at break
6.5.1 These tests shall be carried out on test pieces from the product, with the textile material removed,
using the technique specified in ISO 23529, where appropriate.
6.5.2 The tensile strength and elongation at break shall be determined in accordance with ISO 37,
preferably using a type 2 dumb-bell test piece. The tensile strength and the elongation at break shall conform
to the relevant values given in Table 2, lines 2 and 3.
Table 2 — Requirements for preformed joint seals
Requirements for hardness classes
Line Sub-
Property Unit
No. clause
40 50 60 70 80
> 35 > 45 > 55 > 65 > 75
1.1 Hardness
...