Sealing member

Claim 1

A seal for expansion joints comprising an elongated hollow strip having opposite side walls; a top wall ; and a bottom wall, the junctures of said side walls with said top wall and said bottom wall being rounded; and an integral, internal, reinforcing network of web sections, said network comprising a plurality of laterally spaced, upper web sections extending vertically downwardly from said top wall in generally parallel relation with said side walls, a plurality of laterally spaced, lower web sections extending vertically upwardly from said bottom wall in generally parallel relation with said side walls and substantial vertical alignment with said upper web sections, a plurality of generally diamond shaped cells including a centrally located cell disposed in a side by side relation between said side walls, each of said diamond shaped cells being bounded solely by a plurality of other web sections connected at their upper and lower ends, respectively, to one of said upper and one of said lower web sections, said central cell in cross-section being smaller than the others of said diamond shaped cells and symmetrical about a vertical axis, said strip being resilient and flexible and adapted, when subjected to pressure against said side walls, to be compressed whereby to narrow the width of said central cell and tend to straighten the web sections by which said central cell is bounded to provide increased support for the top and bottom walls of said strip.