Bonding of Composite Panels via Silicone Adhesive in Rainscreen Facades

Abstract

The design and application of stone or metallic panels in panelized facade systems are well accepted and guided by industry practices in North America. Strong industry guidance provides for the selection and placement of mechanical fastening methods to secure these panels to a building. European countries have adopted similar systems but incorporate the use of adhesive methods of attachment, typically referred to as panel bonding applications. Trends both in the Americas and in Europe incorporate the use of composite panels consisting of man-made materials for panelized systems that fall outside the province of industry guidance for natural stone or metal industries. The lack of guidance leaves gaps in means or methods to reliably design and install a facade system using adhesive and composite materials. This paper sets forward an investigation to develop a framework for industry specification and standards for the use of large-format composite panels adhesively bonded using silicone adhesives. The investigation provides an overview of the available guidance and proposed methodology for the design and evaluation of adhesive systems drawing strong parallels to silicone structural glazing and mock-up evaluations of different systems for comparison. The investigation produced a methodology to adhesively attach panels using the developed framework and is presented to set robust design and fabrication principles for industry guidance development.