What mistakes are made when connecting polycarbonate sheets

As with any building materials, you cannot make mistakes when mounting and connecting polycarbonate sheets. This will inevitably lead to problems with operation, loss of time, and unnecessary overhaul costs.

Cellular polycarbonate belongs to the category of thermoplastic materials. It noticeably responds to changes in ambient temperature. With increasing temperature, the material expands, and with a decrease, it decreases in size. The range of expansion of the sheet can reach more than one millimeter for every 10-15 degrees Celsius. This feature of polycarbonate must be taken into account when connecting sheets.

The most serious mistake is to overlap sheets. This method is used in order to save, not wanting to spend money on the purchase of a special connecting profile. Such a connection is not only leaky, but also quickly leads to the destruction of the material. The same thing happens when joining sheets using welding or glue.

Wrong choice of the type of connecting profile affects the tightness of the joints of polycarbonate. For example, when with a sheet thickness of 10 mm, a connecting profile is used for a thicker sheet. Any components must be selected for a specific size of polycarbonate sheets.

Another mistake in joining sheets is the insufficient thermal gap left between the sheet and the inside of the connecting profile. Often the sheet is tightly inserted into the profile, leaving no room for expansion. According to the construction technology, such a gap should be from 2 to 5 mm. The value depends on the thickness of the sheet. The thicker it is, the greater the gap required. Failure to comply with this rule leads to warping of polycarbonate and its further destruction.

Very often, sheets are attached to structural elements at their junctions. And this is done with ordinary screws without gaskets or thermowells. Self-tapping screws cannot be screwed in at an angle or strongly pressed into polycarbonate. In order for the polycarbonate to crack and not become unusable during a thermal change, the connection of the sheets with the frame elements should be carried out in compliance with the technology.

Sometimes, saving on the construction of a solid frame, connecting profiles are used to strengthen the structure. In other words, the joints of the sheets are placed on weight. However, neither the aluminum, nor the plastic joint profile is designed for any load. They should be attached to the frame of the structure. Violation of this rule leads to deflection when exposed to sheets of wind or snow mass. The joints will disperse, and the polycarbonate will collapse.