Artificial ageing of Silane Terminated Polymer adhesive for façade application

Adhesive bonding is commonly used in the automotive and aerospace industry, where it has proved its advantages. Nowadays, the bonded joints are starting increasingly used in civil engineering, where they can be applied in façade structure. Traditionally used structural silicones are resistant to the external environment, but their low strength and elasticity do not meet the requirements of civil engineering. The greater spread of higher strength adhesives such as acrylates or polyurethanes is hampered by the lack of knowledge of their ageing resistance. The paper is focused on the experimental analysis of a double-lap shear joints of Silane Terminated Polymer (STP) adhesive applied in joints with aluminium and Zn-electroplated steel substrates with various surface treatments. The specimens were exposed to artificial ageing according to the technical regulations of the Timber Research and Development Institute in Prague. According to this regulation, specimens were exposed to changing of high and low temperatures, UV-radiation and humidity. This ageing should simulate 5 years in the climatic environment of Central Europe. Specimens exposed to laboratory ageing are compared with reference set of test specimens that were not artificially aged. STP demonstrated excellent resistance to laboratory ageing.