Ageing of Adhesive Joints for Façade Applications – Comparison of Artificial and Real Weathering Conditions

Currently, the adhesive joints are more and more regularly used as an alternative to mechanical joints. They often offer a more suitable, durable and faster possibility. They provide a solution with a more even distribution of stresses in the joint, which consequently allows an increase in the rigidity of the structure and allows it to withstand even heavy loads. High - strength flexible adhesive systems enable the implementation of effective structural joints, and although several decades have passed since the certification and installation of the first façade system with bonded anchoring, even today it is not a matter that is properly grounded in technical standards. A list of specific test procedures on whose basis the behaviour of the joint over the next 40 years could be predicted does not exist. On the basis of these facts, the authors have decided to subject the test samples both to laboratory measurements, where two methods were selected, as well as to expose them to the effects of real weather conditions for a 3-year period. Comparison of the real environment influence results and the methods of artificial aging showed that the selected conditioning methods adequately simulate the effects of weather conditions.