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Silicone Structural Glazing Manual
Silicone Structural Glazing Manual
GLAZING MANUAL
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The information contained herein is offered in good faith based on Dow Cornings
research and is believed to be accurate. However, because conditions and methods
of use of our products are beyond our control, this information shall not be used
in substitution for customers tests to ensure that Dow Cornings products are
fully satisfactory for your specific applications. Dow Cornings sole warranty is
that the product will meet its current sales specifications. Your exclusive remedy
for breach of such warranty is limited to refund of purchase price or replacement
of any product shown to be other than as warranted.
Dow Corning specifically disclaims any other express or
implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose or
merchantability. Unless Dow Corning provides you with
a specific, duly signed endorsement of fitness for use,
Dow Corning disclaims liability for any incidental or
consequential damages. Suggestions of use shall not be
taken as inducements to infringe any patent.
Project Review..............................................5
Design Review............................................5
Substrate and Material Approval................5
Product Quality.............................................5
Joint Preparation and Sealant Application..5
Quality Control...........................................5
Documentation............................................5
Project Review....................................... 8
Compatibility Testing..............................9
Non-Stain Testing...................................9
Other Laboratory Testing........................9
Sample Submission.................................9
Warranty..................................................9
Project Workflow Diagram.........................10
Structural Glazing Design..........................11
European Technical Approval (ETA)........11
European SG Project Checklist
Calculator in COINS.................................11
Structural Glazing Joint Dimensioning......12
Structural Glazing Terminology................12
Structural Bite.......................................12
Thickness..............................................12
Structural Glazing Joint Dimensioning
Guidelines.................................................12
Windload and Glass Dimension............14
Structural Bite Calculation for
Windload and Glass Dimension............14
Thermal Dilatation................................14
Glueline Thickness Calculation for
Thermal Dilatation................................14
Deadload...............................................15
Structural Bite Calculation
for Deadload..........................................15
Structural Glazing System Types..............16
4-Sided Structural Glazing....................16
2-Sided Structural Glazing....................16
Slope Glazing........................................16
Stepped Glass........................................16
U-Profile Systems.................................16
Total Vision Systems.............................16
Other System Types..................................17
Structural Glass Systems.......................17
Structural Attachment of Non-Glass
Materials...............................................17
Protective Glazing.................................17
Substrates and Materials for Structural
Glazing Applications.................................18
Dow Corning Europe Adhesion/
Compatibility Guide..............................18
Aluminium Profiles...............................18
Stainless Steel.......................................18
Laminated Glass....................................18
Product Quality................................... 20
General considerations...............................20
Material storage and handling...................20
Shelf life....................................................20
Factory vs. Site Glazing............................20
Joint Preparation and
Sealant Application...................................20
Quality Control.........................................20
One-Component Sealants...........................21
Storage Temperature and Conditions........21
Skin-over time/elastomeric test.................21
Two-Component Sealants...........................22
Storage Temperature and Conditions........22
Two-Component Dispensing Equipment
Guidelines.................................................22
Surface Preparation and
Sealant Application.....................................24
Substrate Cleaning Procedure...................25
Non-Porous Substrates..........................25
Porous Substrates..................................25
Solvent Consideration...........................25
Masking................................................25
Two-cloth cleaning method...................25
Substrate Priming Procedure.....................26
Placing the Panel.......................................27
Site Glazing Considerations......................27
Sealant Application and Quality Control
Procedures..................................................28
Sealant Application Procedure..................28
Sealant Cure Requirements.......................28
Site Glazing Cure Requirements...............28
Factory Glazing Cure Requirements.........28
Reglazing Procedures................................29
Reglazing Due to Glass Breakage.........29
Reglazing Due to System Failure.........30
Quality Control Test Procedures...............31
General Considerations.........................31
Product Quality
Joint Preparation and Sealant Application
Quality Control
Documentation
Dow Corning 756 SMS Building Sealant is a onecomponent, low modulus, and neutral-curing silicone
sealant designed specifically for weathersealing
of sensitive substrates such as natural stone and
aluminium panels systems where the aesthetic
performance of the sealant is important. This sealant
is designed to be non-staining on natural stone and
to attract less dirt and atmospheric contaminants
than conventional silicone building sealants.
Product Recommendation
Sample Submission
For prompt processing of all testing requests,
enter materials for testing through Dow Corning
COnstruction INdustry System (COINS) which
can be accessed through Dow Corning Premier
website. Please contact your local Dow Corning
Construction Office for more information. A
Structural Glazing Project Testing Submission
Form is available in the Documentation section
of this manual. Testing samples should be sent to
the following location:
Dow Corning S.A.
Parc Industriel
Zone C
B-7180 Seneffe
Attention: Sealants Testing Lab
Warranty
Dow Corning offers a project specific Structural
Adhesion Limited Warranty for projects using
either Dow Corning 993 Structural Glazing
Silicone Sealant or Dow Corning 895 Structural
Glazing Silicone Sealant. Please contact your
Dow Corning Construction Office for more
information on the warranties available. To
obtain a warranty, the following steps must be
completed:
11
Structural Glazing Joint Dimensioning The SG joint design must allow the sealant
exposure to air so that it can cure and achieve
Guidelines
12
Thickness
Thickness is the distance from the panel to the
frame. Proper thickness facilitates the installation
of the sealant and allows reduced sealant stress
from differential thermal movement between the
glass panel and frame. Thickness in a structural
silicone joint is often referred to as glueline
thickness.
STEPPED
INSULATING GLASS
UNIT
SPACER WITH
DESSICANT
POLYISOBUTYLENE
PRIMARY SEAL
SILICONE
SETTING
BLOCK
SILICONE
SECONDARY
SEAL
DOUBLE-SIDED
ADHESIVE FOAM
TAPE
CLOSED CELL
POLYETYLENE
BACKER MATERIAL
SILICONE
WEATHERSEAL
SEALANT
ALUMINIUM
PROFILE
STRUCTURAL
SILICONE
SEALANT
STRUCTURAL
BITE
THICKNESS
CONVENTIONAL
INSULATING
GLASS UNIT
GLASS
13
and metal (aluminium or stainless steel), maximum temperature change and design of the SG
system. There will be greater movement if the
aluminium frame is exposed to the exterior.
15
Slope Glazing
Slope glazing is when structural glazing is
applied on a faade that is not vertical. Typical
slope glazed SG systems are skylights. In such
cases, the weight of the glass is considered in
the SG joint dimensioning calculations. For
slope glazing applications, European regulations
require the use of laminated safety glass. Inverted
slope glazing has also been used successfully on
numerous projects.
Stepped Glass
Many SG systems install the SG joint on the
internal surface of the outboard pane. In these
systems, the insulating glass units are produced
in a step fashion which allows glazing to the
outboard pane. More traditional SG systems
install the structural joint to the internal surface
of the inboard pane of the insulating glass unit.
Please refer to Typical Structural Glazing
Detail on page 13 for an example of a typical
stepped glass SG system.
U-Profile Channel Systems
There are many proprietary systems that allow
insulating glass units to be attached mechanically
to the structure by a U-profile in the cavity
between the two panes of glass. Depending on
the nature of the system, the silicone sealant may
or may not be performing as a structural glazing
sealant in the design. These unique systems must
be approved by Dow Corning Technical Service
Engineers on a system specific basis.
Total Vision Systems
Total vision systems, which are commonly used
at the front of a building to maximize vision area,
use a glass fin to structurally support the vision
glass. In such cases, the 2-sided SG system may
use the structural silicone in shear from the glass
edge to the glass fin. Dow Corning permits shear
beads to perform structurally provided they are
independent of a tension bead.
16
Structural
Attachment
of
Non-Glass
Materials
Structural silicone sealant can be used to attach
materials other than glass. Dow Corning must
test and approve these materials on a material
specific basis. Examples of such materials include
aluminium composite materials, metal panels and
epoxy-backed thin stone panels.
Protective Glazing
Structural silicone sealants are commonly used in
window systems which are designed to mitigate
the effects of bomb blasts or storms. In some
cases, these systems are also structurally glazed.
The use of structural glazing in bomb blast
protective window designs is appropriate and has
been done successfully on numerous projects.
In these designs, the sealant is only one element
of a complex glazing system which includes the
frame, glass and laminate. The structural silicone
sealant plays an important role by anchoring the
laminate glass in the frame during a bomb blast
or missile impact. Due to the unique physical and
chemical properties of silicone (i.e. viscoelastic
properties, long term adhesion and durability)
which organic sealants do not provide, high
performance structural silicone sealants are the
material of choice for these applications. For
assistance in protective glazing designs, please
contact your Dow Corning Technical Service
Engineer.
17
Adhesion/Compatibility Guide
Available at www.dowcorning.com is the
Dow Corning Europe Adhesion/Compatibility
Guide. This guide summarizes cleaning and
priming recommendations for Dow Corning
Sealants on a variety of common construction
materials. There are also surface preparation
recommendations for specific aluminium profile
manufacturers and coated, spandrel and tinted
glass products. Also included are general and
specific compatibility recommendations on
laminated glass products, gaskets, tapes and other
extrusions. This guide is periodically updated
with new materials and recommendations.
Aluminium Profiles
Dow Corning works closely with most of the
major aluminium profile manufacturers in Europe
to qualify their systems. Dow Corning has an
extensive database of adhesion testing to the
profiles from these manufacturers. Aluminium
profiles, whether anodized or painted with a
polyester powder coating (PPC), must be of an
architectural grade quality (QUALANOD or
QUALICOAT).
Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel has been used successfully as a
structural glazing substrate. The stainless steel
must be of an architectural grade quality and
should be submitted to Dow Corning for adhesion
and compatibility testing.
18
19
General considerations
Material storage and handling
Quality Control
21
Maintain
Proper
Production
Facility
Temperature
Ambient temperature in the production facility
Two-Component Dispensing Equipment must be between +10C and +40C. For best
performance, maintain a temperature of between
Guidelines
+18C to +30C. At colder temperatures,
Dow Corning 993 Structural Glazing Silicone
between +10C and +18C, cure rate and
Sealant is a high performance material, which is
adhesion development will be slower. In higher
certificated and approved by official authorities and
temperatures, between +30C and +40C,
test institutes for structural glazing applications.
working time will be shorter.
Properly applied, the sealant provides excellent
long-term adhesion and durability, which is
Avoid Excessively High Humidity
necessary for structural glazing applications.
In higher relative humidity, the sealant will
Dow Corning 993 Structural Glazing Silicone cure faster and have a shorter working time.
Sealant requires correct pumping and mixing Excessively high humidity (>80%) could cause
by the sealant user to achieve its intended moisture on the substrate surface and adversely
performance. State of the art technology for the affect sealant adhesion. To minimize the damage
application of two-component sealants uses a of moisture on the individual sealant components,
sophisticated pumping, metering and mixing pails and drums must be kept airtight during
machine with either a dynamic or static mixer. storage and after being placed on the dispensing
There are several different suppliers for such equipment. When using a pressure pot, the air
equipment. The dispensing machines available in inside the drum or pail must be filtered and dried
the market are all different in design, so therefore (silica gel filters are recommended).
Dow Corning strongly recommends that the
sealant user follow the guidelines provided by
the equipment supplier regarding the proper use
and maintenance of the dispensing equipment.
In addition to the guidelines from the equipment
supplier, Dow Corning recommends that the
22
23
and
24
Masking
If aesthetics are important, surface adjacent to
the SG joint can be protected by masking. Prior
to sealant installation, a masking tape can be
applied to the surface adjacent to the joint. Test
the tape prior to use to ensure that it can be easily
removed and does not damage the substrate.
During application of the tape, do not apply the
tape to joint surfaces since residual adhesive from
tape may harm sealant adhesion. Immediately
after the sealant has been applied and tooled,
remove the tape.
Solvent Consideration
The solvents named in this section are 3. Wipe the joint surfaces with sufficient force
to remove dirt and contaminants.
recommended based upon our experience with
these products. You should always check with
the supplier of the substrate to ensure that the 4. Immediately wipe dry the solvent wet
surface of the substrate with a separate clean,
cleaning procedures and solvents are compatible
dry cloth. The second cloth must wipe the
with each substrate.
substrate before the solvent has evaporated.
25
26
27
30
Sealant Production
QC Test
Frequency of Test
After Each Pump
Start-Up
After Each
Container Change
Diagnostic
Investigation
Glass Test
Required1
Required1
Required
Butterfly Test
Required1
Required1
Required
Required
Required
Required
Not Required
Not Required
Required
Either the glass test or butterfly test must be performed at the scheduled frequency. It is not required that both
tests be performed.
1
31
32
Apply Sealant to
Folded Paper
Press Together
Insufficient Mixing
Proper Mixing
33
SNAP
Stick Inserted
in Cup
34
Before
Snap Time
Snap Time
Typical Snap Time vs. Temperature for Dow Corning 993 Structural Glazing Sealant
Snap Time vs. Temperature for Dow Corning 993 Structural Glazing Sealant
35
After Each
Container Change
Required
Required
Required
H-Piece Test
Alternate to Peel
Adhesion Test
Required1
Alternate to Peel
Adhesion Test
Alternate to Peel
Adhesion Test Wet
(only for anodized
aluminium)
Alternate to Peel
Adhesion Test Wet
(only for anodized
aluminium)
Deglaze Test
Not Generally
Required2
Not Generally
Required2
Not Generally
Required2
H-Piece testing after each container change may not be required by Dow Corning in some cases.
Deglaze testing is a valuable test that should be included in every comprehensive quality control program.
Deglaze testing may be required for specific projects or if special warranties are requested.
1
2
36
SEALANT
BONDBREAKER
TAPE
GLASS OR
ALUMINIUM
SUBSTRATE
SEALANT
BONDBREAKER
TAPE
GLASS OR
ALUMINIUM
SUBSTRATE
38
12 mm
Glass
Silicone
12 mm
Glass
or
Metal
50 mm
50 mm
H-piece Test
The H-piece test is the primary test used to
evaluate sealant cure properties. This test should
be performed once for every combination of base
and curing agent. If a container is changed, an
H-piece test should be used to confirm that the
sealant cure properties are acceptable. In some
instances, Dow Corning may not require Hpiece testing as a part of a comprehensive quality
control program if other procedures such as peel
adhesion and deglaze testing are performed at
an appropriate frequency and if local standards
and regulations do not require H-piece testing.
The H-piece test can be used as a daily adhesion
quality control test but because the peel test is
less complicated to perform, the peel test is the
recommended daily adhesion quality control
test.
Every time a container is changed, four H-piece
test samples should be produced. Samples should
be made using actual production substrates
(aluminium profile and glass, typically). The
substrates should be cleaned and primed in the
same manner as production units are prepared.
The test samples should be stored in the same
temperature and humidity environment as the
actual production units.
R = W * b/a
W
Roman Scale
The weight applied to the silicone joint is equal
to the weight (W) on the Roman Scale plate
times the ratio of b/a. The H-piece sample
should be tested to rupture. The tensile strength
40
dimension
of
the
41
42
Dow Corning will audit the structural glazing
production and quality control operations of
any user of Dow Corning Structural Glazing
Silicone Sealants. During this audit, the sealant
users production operations, quality control
procedures and documentation will be evaluated.
Dow Corning will provide recommendations
for improvement and establish an action
plan with the SG applicator. Following
are some of the important elements that
Dow Corning will be evaluating during an audit:
Production Facility Operations and Safety
Quality Control
Compliance with Dow Corning sealant
production quality control procedures: glass
test or butterfly test, snap time test, mix ratio
test
Properly completed sealant production
quality control log
Compliance with Dow Corning adhesion and
cure quality control procedures: peel adhesion
test, H-piece test, deglaze test
Properly completed adhesion and cure quality
control log
Traceability documentation in accordance
with Dow Corning recommendations
Commitment by management to train
personnel and implement a comprehensive
quality control programm.
43
44
Project Description:
SG System Type: 4 Sided
2 Sided
SG System Manufacturer:
Technical Contact:
Email:
Phone:
Fax:
Architect:
Consultant:
General Contractor:
IG Manufacturer:
DC Sealant(s) used:
993
895
791
797
756
Spandrel Glass
Vision Glass
Total Thickness of
Outer Pane (mm)
DC IG Sealant Used:
Profiles Exposed to
Outside Temp. (Y/N)
Laminated Glass
3362
3793
Proposed Glueline
Thickness (mm)
Profiles Tested/Approved
by DC? (Y/N)
Insulating Glass
Total Thickness of
Inner Pane (mm)
Aluminium or
Steel Profile?
Temperature During
Production (C)
Other
Document ID Number:
Name/number if a
Standard SG System
Additional Comments:
45
DC Sealant(s) to be
tested for this project:
993
895
791
797
756
Other
Cleaning Solvent(s)
Type (i.e. Anodized)
Supplier
Color
Lot Number
Manufacturer
Name/Brand
Color
Manufacturer
Description
Name/Brand
Color
Manufacturer
Description
Supplier
Name/Brand
Profile Description
Profile Description
Profile Description
Glass Description
Glass Description
Other Substrate
Other Substrate
Accessory Material
Accessory Material
Description of sample type and size to be submitted to Dow Corning:
Aluminium or Steel Profile
3 pieces approximately 20 cm x 15 cm
46
Time
Temp. &
Humidity
C/A Lot
Number
Base Lot
Number
Glass
Test
Snap
Time
Test
Mix
Ratio
Test
Tester
47
Primer
Substrates:
Date
48
Time
Temp. &
Humidity
C/A Lot
Number
Base Lot
Number
Day 1
Dry Wet
Day 2
Dry Wet
Day 3
Dry Wet
Tester
Primer
Substrates:
Date
Time
Temp. &
Humidity
C/A Lot
Number
Base Lot
Number
H-Piece
Test Dry
MPa
%CF
H-Piece
Test Wet
MPa
%CF
Elastomeric
Test
Tester
49
Cleaning Solvent:
Primer:
Glass Description:
Frame Number:
51
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