Article and method for sealing seams between water barrier articles

A composite article comprising two adjacent bentonite-containing water-sealing sheet articles each manufactured to include material that prevents the passage of water through said articles, and a tubular seam-sealing article disposed in alignment with a seam defined by a line of overlapping or abutment of said two adjacent water-sealing articles for preventing water from seeping between said adjacent water-sealing articles, said tubular seam-sealing article formed from an elongated tubular mass of a water-swellable clay enveloped within a tubular wrapper consisting essentially of a water-porous flexible fabric material having a longitudinal seam in the enveloping fabric material, said seam having a bursting strength lower than a bursting strength of the fabric material such that the water-porous fabric material will permit the passage of water therethrough sufficiently upon contact with water to enable the clay to expand through said fabric seam to substantially block the passage of water through said seam of said adjacent water sealing articles.

An article of manufacture adapted to seal a plurality of water seepage areas comprising:

• a first elongated tubular mass of a water-swellable clay confined within a first water-penetrable tubular envelope consisting essentially of a fabric material and having a longitudinal seam wherein the seam has a bursting strength less than a bursting of the fabric material, said seam adapted to degrade or burst upon sufficient water contact to allow the first mass of water-swellable clay to expand substantially without hindrance from the first envelope;
• said first tubular envelope integrally connected to and spaced from a second tubular envelope containing a second tubular mass of a water-swellable clay, said second envelope consisting essentially of a fabric material and having a longitudinal seam wherein the seam has a bursting strength less than a bursting of the fabric material, said seam adapted to degrade or burst upon sufficient water contact to allow the second mass of water-swellable clay to expand substantially without hindrance from the second envelope, and
• means for separating said first tubular mass from said second tubular mass.