Expansion joint seals and methods for manufacturing the same

An expansion joint seal comprising:

• an extruded seal body including a plurality of traffic bearing surfaces that are discontinuous relative to one another;
• a plurality of extruded seal caps that cover the plurality of traffic bearing surfaces of the extruded seal body, such that each of the traffic bearing surfaces of the extruded seal body is covered by a separate one of the extruded seal caps;
• wherein the extruded seal body and the extruded seal caps are coextruded;
• wherein the extruded seal body is made of a first material having a first hardness;
• wherein the extruded seal caps that cover the traffic bearing surfaces of the extruded seal body are made of a second material having a second hardness that is at least twice as hard as the first hardness;
• and
• wherein the expansion joint seal comprising the extruded seal body and the extruded seal caps is capable of being rolled and unrolled so that the expansion joint seal can be shipped in a roll and thereafter unrolled at a site where the expansion joint seal is to be installed.

A method for manufacturing an expansion joint seal capable of being rolled and unrolled so that the expansion joint seal can be shipped in a roll and thereafter unrolled at a site where the expansion joint seal is to be installed, the method comprising:

• (a) extruding, from a material having a first hardness, a seal body including a plurality of walls that form hollow cells and a plurality of traffic bearing surfaces that are separated from one another by grooves and are thereby discontinuous relative to one another;
• and
• (b) extruding, from a material having a second hardness that is greater than the first harness, seal caps to cover the plurality of traffic bearing surfaces of the seal body, so that each of the traffic bearing surfaces of the seal body is covered by a separate one of the seal caps;
• wherein steps (a) and (b) are performed simultaneously during a coextrusion process;
• wherein the expansion joint seal resulting from steps (a) and (b) is capable of being rolled and unrolled;
• and
• wherein the extruded seal caps extruded at step (b) do not interfere with the ability for the expansion joint seal resulting from steps (a) and (b) to be rolled and unrolled.