Our expert team can bond glass pane joints together using products with high resistance to UV exposure and temperature fluctuations.
Butt Joint Glazing In Butt Joint Glazing, the glass is supported on only two edges. Glass lites are retained at the head and sill in a traditional rabbeted glazing system, with the application of a silicone sealant weather-seal between the unsupported edges of adjacent glass lites. A key distinction is that the sealant acts as a weather seal only and, absent the interior supporting mullions, cannot be considered to be structural. Under load, each glass lite behaves as a simply supported beam (See Sketch 5). While Butt Joint Glazing may appear aesthetically similar to 2-side Structural Silicone Glazing, its performance under loading is drastically different. For any specified probability of glass breakage, the corresponding load will be much less for the butt joint glazed system than for the 2-side structural silicone system. And, the center deflection of the glass will be much greater.
The glass is supported on all four edges by metal mullions. Retention to the metal mullions is accomplished with an appropriate structural silicone bond-joint, rather than with traditional metal retainers and exterior metal trim. The weatherseal between glass lites is accomplished by using non-structural silicone. Structural Glazing Systems can be designed to accommodate either monolithic glass or insulating glass units. The glass can be structurally glazed with silicone on one or more edges, with traditional retention on the remaining edges. Typical structural silicone glazing includes the 2-side or “ribbon window” appearance (Sketch 1), or 4-side to create a totally flush glazed appearance (Sketch 2). Sketches 3 and 4 are typical details at the vertical and horizontal mullions. Structural Silicone Glazing requires that appropriate consideration be given to a number of critical design elements. Some, but not all of these include.