Silicone bond

[speedstar]

I'm in Grand Rapids.

[tazzy695]

I can see one big bennifit of having the silicone in the corners helps if the seam opens up a tiny bit it wont leak as quickly where as if you dont have the extra and the seam opens up even a pin hole amount then you have a leak

[locoyo386]

Hi there, I am going to have ot say that it helps to hold the tank together. It helps by providing strength via resisting shear. The thicker the silicone the stronger it will be, but to much does not look good nor it is required. If you where to apply a thin layer sort of like an thin L shape it will not hold as much load nor will it hold it for a long time. Think of it as ripping it appart, the thiner it is the easier it is to rip, thus the thicker it is the harded it is to rip it.

[locoyo386]

Bump.....

I would think that the slopped on stuff assists in the sheer strength of the silicone. Silicone is resistant to tearing, resists compression (not a requirement for aquariums).

Hi there, you are correct in that it resists in tearing (shearing), but it does not resist in compression as it will get squashed really easy. You would not be able to resist compression with silicone, or it would not be recomended to do so.

[jojo22]

Compression is not the issue being questioned. The question is does the little bit in the corners help to hold the tank together, which would be more of a question as to how well the silicon can resist the expansion caused by the pressure of the water in the tank on the seam.

[speedstar]

Quick update since i saw this thread was bumped. The tanks are built currently waiting for silicone to cure 100%. Most likely the tests will take place on saturday.

[tazzy695]

sweet cant wait to see the results

[locoyo386]

Any results?

[Tom@HaslettMI]

An interesting question. I would guess that the "extra" silicone is somehow beneficial and that aquarium manufacturer(s) have already looked into this. If it wasn't necessary tanks would require less silicone (be cheaper to produce) and look better (therefore they could charge more). But who knows... I'm looking forward to seeing some results.

[speedstar]

An interesting question. I would guess that the "extra" silicone is somehow beneficial and that aquarium manufacturer(s) have already looked into this. If it wasn't necessary tanks would require less silicone (be cheaper to produce) and look better (therefore they could charge more). But who knows... I'm looking forward to seeing some results.

Or it could be looked at as the time needed cutting out the extra silicone instead of it being slopped in would cost more in labor.

While it appeared to be fully cured it still had a wet smell to it, stress test will be saturday AM when i get up. I have no time sooner to do this.