Panels made of cellular or monolithic polycarbonate, due to their practicality, have found application in many areas of construction and industry. In particular, plastic sheets are widely used in the arrangement of various structures and structures, forming a reliable roofing. If a suitable polycarbonate fixing is selected, the material will provide optimum strength and mechanical protection characteristics. Fixation can be carried out to any material, however, metal frames and surfaces involve the greatest responsibility in choosing the method of fastening.
Polycarbonate installation procedure
The work consists of several stages. First of all, measurements are made of the polycarbonate required for laying on a specific surface or frame. Next, you need to prepare sheets of specified parameters. One of the main advantages of polycarbonate is ease of processing. You can cut it with a regular hacksaw, and construction scissors. Then the polycarbonate is directly attached to the frame using fixing elements. At the final stagethe analysis of the quality of the work done is carried out: the joints of the plastic sheets are checked, the reliability of the installation of fasteners and the condition of the honeycombs (cells of ribbed polycarbonate), which must be clean.
How to fix monolithic polycarbonate?
For the installation of sheet (monolithic) polycarbonate, special hardware, profiles and galvanized tape are used. This variety differs from honeycomb plastic in high density and rigidity. In terms of the use of fasteners, these qualities are a plus, although technically they make the process of drilling and inserting elements a little more difficult. The most common is the fastening of polycarbonate with self-tapping screws, but in order to obtain a stable and durable structure, it is also recommended to use profiles and a special tape. If there are no special requirements for the construction, then you can limit yourself to ordinary hardware, but on condition that the installation is accompanied by the use of thermal washers.
Features of mounting cellular polycarbonate
Panels of this type are fixed with the same elements as monolithic counterparts. But cellular polycarbonate has its own design features, which are important to consider when installing the material. Open honeycombs can be clogged with dirt, water and insects, which affects the technical and aesthetic qualities of the coating. Special tapes that are glued to cellular polycarbonate allow preventing clogging. Protective strip attachment allowsisolate the interior space of the material. There are steam-permeable and sealing tapes. It is preferable to opt for the first option, since it minimizes the possibility of clogging the cells, but at the same time does not create a barrier to condensate removal and ventilation. Sealing tapes, in turn, provide the maximum obstacle to any contact of the honeycomb with the external environment - including preventing air and moisture from penetrating.
Galvanized tapes
This is a new method of fixing polycarbonate sheets, which uses metal tapes that have undergone anti-corrosion treatment. Fasteners are clamps, the standard width of which is 20 mm, and the thickness is approximately 0.7 mm. Thanks to galvanization, this material is not subject to chemical destruction due to rust, and also provides structural strength. If polycarbonate is fastened to metal in a greenhouse, it is recommended to provide for the possibility of complex fixation of tapes that will ensure the screed of several sheets of material at once.
Galvanized strip fastening technology
The main advantage in installing such tapes is that there is no need to invade the structure of the polycarbonate itself. That is, it does not need to be drilled or special perforations made for specific fasteners. Tapes provide a fairly tight fit of the material to the frame elements. It is desirable to use this method on arc and arched structures. At the same time, in the supporting arcs of the same greenhouses, it is not necessary to create holes for hardware, sincegalvanized tape for fixing polycarbonate works on the principle of tightening force.
The installation process starts by fixing the position of the plastic sheets. Laying of several elements is carried out with an overlap. Next, you need to divide the tape into two parts - each of them is initially attached at the base of the structure. Segments are superimposed exactly along the line of convergence of the panels and are fixed to each other with nuts. Thus, the tape for attaching polycarbonate provides a tight connection of sheets, which does not imply damage to the material and creates a rather attractive appearance of the entire structure.
The nuances of the operation of galvanized tapes
Although this method of fastening is the most technologically advanced and has many advantages, it also has certain disadvantages that should be considered. Basically, they are due to the fact that the fixation is implemented in an open form. Accordingly, if a greenhouse with polycarbonate is left unattended for a long time, there is a risk of its quick and imperceptible dismantling - unscrewing a few screws will not be difficult for an attacker armed with pliers. In addition, the fastening of polycarbonate with a metal tape protrudes 2-3 cm outward, which often causes inconvenience in close contact with the surfaces of the greenhouse.
Thermal washer
Before the advent of the thermal washer and galvanized tape, polycarbonate was fixed with ordinary self-tapping screws. This is a simple and cheap method that providesrelative reliability of the design. The disadvantages of using such hardware are due to the physical and operational properties of polycarbonate, which make its structure changeable with temperature changes. The use of a thermal washer eliminates negative factors - the element naturally adapts to external conditions, evenly distributing the clamping force. Combined fastening of polycarbonate to metal is also practiced, in which self-tapping screws together with a thermal washer are twisted through a galvanized tape. Thus, the maximum reliability of the metal frame sheathing is achieved and the disadvantages inherent in the single use of clamp bands are eliminated. On the other hand, this is the most expensive and time-consuming technology for installing polycarbonate, which in some cases does not justify itself.
Profile mounting
These are special fixtures designed to fasten or join polycarbonate sheets. The design of such profiles contains two elements - the base and the cover. With their help, a double-sided clamping of the edges of the material is provided, which does not require drilling and direct twisting of the sheets. Only the base is fixed in the appropriate places where installation is planned. Such a fastening of polycarbonate is beneficial, first of all, with reliability and tightness, but in addition to this, the owner also receives an impeccable appearance of the coating. Since the profiles are usually made from the same polycarbonate, they visually merge with the main sheets. Just choose the right coloritems.
There are also aluminum profiles with a similar design. They provide the same quality of connection as a galvanized tape for fixing polycarbonate, but at the same time eliminate the flaws of the clamping method of installation. That is, it is not so easy to unwind this system - the presence of self-tapping screws and a strong clamping of profiles make this task difficult for an attacker.
Double-sided and purlin mount
The location of the attachment points also affects the choice of the polycarbonate installation method. There are two approaches to installation - running and double-sided. The first option is used if a large area is covered with polycarbonate. To eliminate possible sheet deflections, several fastening runs should be made across the location of the material ribs. Depending on which polycarbonate fastening is used, the step can be 40-50 cm. The use of a two-sided installation is advisable if a small area is sheathed - in this case, the fastening lines are made along the longitudinal sides of the polycarbonate sheets.
Pull-through mounting method emphasizes the number of fixing points, so there is no point in using expensive installation tools. Conversely, the double-sided option involves only two installation lines, so for the implementation of such fasteners, it is worth using combined or profile mounting methods.
