I. Differences in Applications
Weatherproof Adhesive
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It is suitable for the weatherproof sealing of various curtain walls, and is especially recommended for the weatherproof sealing of glass curtain walls, aluminum-plastic panel curtain walls, and dry-hung stone curtain walls.
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It is used for the joint sealing between metals, glass, aluminum materials, ceramic tiles, acrylic glass, and coated glass.
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It is used for the joint sealing on the surfaces of concrete, cement, masonry, rocks, marble, steel, wood, anodized aluminum materials, and painted aluminum materials. In most cases, there is no need to use a primer.
Structural Adhesive
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It is mainly used for the structural or non-structural adhesive assembly between metals and glass in glass curtain walls.
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It can directly connect the glass to the surface of metal components to form a single assembly unit, meeting the design requirements of fully hidden or semi-hidden frame curtain walls.
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It is used for the structural adhesive sealing of insulating glass.
II. Application Areas
The weatherproof sealant is mainly used for the sealing and caulking between materials, as well as the waterproof sealing of joints; while the structural adhesive is mainly used for the adhesive bonding of the structural and non-structural assemblies of various curtain walls. The application areas of the two are different.
III. Bonding Performance
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The weatherproof sealant can also be regarded as a general-purpose adhesive, mainly featuring resistance to extreme weather conditions such as ultraviolet rays, acid rain, and snow. The displacement capacity (which can be interpreted as elasticity) of the weatherproof adhesive is higher than that of the structural adhesive.
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In addition to having the characteristics of the weatherproof sealant, the silicone structural adhesive also has stronger bonding performance than the weatherproof sealant. This is mainly manifested in its higher tear resistance strength, elongation at break, and tensile strength. The tensile strength is mainly used in areas with prestress. The modulus, hardness, strength, and price of the structural adhesive are all higher than those of the weatherproof adhesive of the same grade.
Summary: The weather resistance of the structural adhesive is as good as, or even better than, that of the weatherproof adhesive. This is because the weather resistance of the structural adhesive is related to safety. If it ages quickly and the glass falls off, the consequences will be very serious. Therefore, most of the current structural adhesives are silicone adhesives (silicone sealants), and they basically will not age in the natural environment. The weatherproof adhesive is not related to safety, and the general result of its failure is mainly water leakage and air leakage. Therefore, there are more types of materials for weatherproof adhesives, including polyurethane, polysulfide, acrylic, etc., but the weather resistance of silicone is still the best.
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