This study assesses the aging stability of a silicone adhesive bond between timber and glass which is of great significance for novel sustainable façade and window applications. It focuses on seven different wood substrates ranging from solid soft and hard woods to wood-based products and modified solid woods. Microscopic imaging is used to highlight differences in the wood surface texture.
Small-scale adhesively bonded specimens, which are composed of a wooden and a glass piece are exposed to different aging scenarios, which relate to the impacts typically encountered in structural glazing façades and glued windows such as exposure to low or high temperatures, cleaning solution as well as high or low humidity. The residual strengths and the failure patterns are evaluated according to ETAG and a specific guideline for glued windows. The results reveal a significant influence of the type of wood on the adhesive strength. Only a few materials are suitable if the surfaces are only cleaned but not pretreated. Primer application appears to be promising since an adequate strength and failure pattern is observed also on surfaces which are originally considered unsuitable.