Glass as a building material
Eaves details for sloping glazing imperative that they remain unloaded until the
2.1.62
a followed by the use of adhesives in the hermet-
b hermetic edge seal of an insulating unit is an
c UV bonding, as used for glass furniture and
d area.
2.1.63
2.1.62 Incorrect eaves detail (insulating unit positioned
in both cold and warm zones)
2.1.63 Reactions caused by alkalis attacking glass
a Alkaline solution
Film of water on glass surface
b Alkali as a reaction product in solution
Alkali diffusing out of glass surface into water
(leaching)
c Alkali as a reaction product in solution:
Alkali reaction particles on the glass surface
after drying
d Sketch of glass cross-section
reduced (corroded) by alkalis
88
To avoid thermal stresses and condensation,
the edge zone of an insulating unit should be
located internally and be in contact with the air
of the room (fig. 2.1.62). The outer pane of the
insulating unit may project beyond the actual
edge seal. The projection should exceed 200 mm
and the cantilevering pane should be made
from thermally toughened safety glass. The
edge seal must then be protected against solar
radiation, in particular UV light, or the edge
seal employed must be one suitable for use
with structural sealant glazing.
Adhesives for glass construction
Adhesives can be used to join glass to its sup-
porting framework or to other pieces of glass.
The glass cement used many decades ago
signalled the start of this technique, and was
ic edge seals of insulating units. The difference
between these two methods is that the glass
cement is a structural connection, i.e. transfer-
ring forces and therefore inelastic, whereas the
elastic connection. This distinction is still impor-
tant today when discussing adhesives for glass
construction.
tabletops, is a rigid type of connection. In fact,
laminated and laminated safety glasses are
glued products for use in glass construction in
which the adhesive is spread over the entire
Adhesive joints can accommodate tension and
compression forces well, but are weaker against
shear forces. This property should always be
taken into consideration; as was always the
case, the weight of the glass must be carried
by mechanical fasteners, unless the width of
the adhesive joint is increased corresponding-
ly, which, however, is not usually desirable for
aesthetic reasons. Rigid adhesive joints require
stiffer glass panes because such joints cannot
accommodate any movement. Elastic adhesive
joints, on the other hand, can accept a certain
amount of deformation. The glass itself, any
other materials and the adhesive must all be
matched to the particular application.
It is important to distinguish between adhesives
and sealants, which are two completely differ-
ent products. Although a sealant may also
exhibit adhesive properties, this does not make
it a suitable adhesive for glass construction.
The term structural sealant glazing (SSG)
denotes a method of using adhesives in which
the glass element is bonded to an adapter
frame. This frame is in turn connected to the
supporting construction with mechanical fas-
teners. Owing to the very high demands in
terms of cleanliness and processing, such
adhesive joints must be produced under clean,
specially defined factory conditions. For such
adhesive joints that transfer loads it is
adhesive has cured fully. The properties of the
surfaces to be bonded and the properties of
the adhesive itself are all equally responsible
for the quality of the finished joint. The best
adhesive in the world is useless if it is not
matched to the materials to be joined and the
mating surfaces are not clean. Furthermore, the
influences of any cleaning agents used and the
method of cleaning itself should not be under-
estimated and must be considered at the plan-
ning stage.
The current trend – for reasons of appearance
– is increasingly towards mechanical fasteners
being replaced by more and more adhesive
joints.
Insulating units for windows are sometimes
glued into their frames. Special attention should
be paid to the mating surfaces of the frames in
such cases. When wooden frames are being
used, for example, many individual factors
such as the orientation and nature of the grain,
moisture absorption etc. must be considered.
Similar, specific requirements apply to plastics
and metals. The type of hermetic edge seal
and type of glass in the insulating unit itself
must also be matched to the adhesive used.
The insulating units installed with glazing beads
are not the same as those for use with adhesive
joints. Glass and frame are a self-contained
system in which all materials are coordinated
with each other. There is no longer any stand-
ard glazing element in this field.
What is common to all adhesive systems is that
the hermetic edge seal of an insulating unit or
the edges of laminated and laminated safety
glass elements must be kept free from destruc-
tive influences such as permanent moisture
and, for example, the plasticizers used in some
sealants or other materials. Whereas in the
case of an insulating unit moisture in the rebate
merely leads to condensation which disrupts
the transparency, the failure of a loadbearing
adhesive joint is a much more serious risk and
could even result in the failure of the entire
construction.
Developments in such glazing systems are
nearly always related to specific projects.
Adhesive joints represent alternative solutions
to mechanical fasteners, but always involve a
high input in terms of planning, workmanship
and maintenance.