Weathering of laminated glass: degradation of interlayer mechanical properties

The degradation of polymer due to weathering has been extensively studied in recent years (Martin et al. 2002, Liu et al. 2008, Md Akil et al. 2009, El-Din et al. 1995, Saad et al. 1995). Presently, laminated glass structures have been extensively used in the works of architecture and some of them have become old enough to show the first consequences of aging. Discoloration and delamination events are often observed in laminated glass structures. As laminated glass interlayer plays a mechanical rule, both at rupture and in the serviceability domain, it is important to evaluate the consequences of weathering on the mechanical properties of interlayer. In this paper, some results of an experimental campaign are reported, aimed at the definition of the weathering of laminated glass in the serviceability domain. For this reason, laminated glass specimens were subjected to laboratory degradation processes and the thermoviscoelastic behavior of interlayer was investigated before and after the degradation process.