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Any SikaFlex Canopy Delaminations?

RhinoDrvr

Well Known Member
Hey there,

I’m currently replacing my cracked RV-8 canopy. I originally was going to use screws (I have RivNuts in the frame precluding the standard rivet method), but I’m now leaning towards SikaFlex.

Have there been any reports of SikaFlex delaminating / debonding in the field? I see the oldest installations of SikaFlex started around 2008, so now we are 14 years into this Operational Test.

What say the brain trust?
 
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Have there been any reports of SikaFlex delaminating / debonding in the field? I see the oldest installations of SikaFlex started around 2008, so now we are 14 years into this Operational Test.

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None that I'm aware of. The first installation in an RV that I know of is from the 1990s, so we've got a couple of decades of experience.
 
Do it!!!

Sika is the only way to go. No drilled holes to start cracks. Handles temperature extremes.

Consider a product call Sil-Pruf. Basically the same as Sika but easier to use. RV8 builder Ron Moring used it on Sportsman 2+2 with fantastic results. It is a little thinner and easier to use. Available from McMaster.
 
I have 8 years and 965 hours on my SikaFlex bonded canopy. It still looks like new.
I made up some test samples and did some destructive testing on them way back when... I can't imagine it delaminating or failing before the aluminum or plexiglass would.
 
I know of one failure. RV-8 builder glued in 2003, began delamination in 2005. It appeared to me that the plexi wasn't prepped, and the builder didn't use any primer, and the plexi was tight against the frame.
I stripped it all off, prepped and primed, and made sure there was space between the plexi and the frame, to give the Sika room to flex. Sika is still stickin', at least it was last time I spoke with him
 
Destructive test

I have 8 years and 965 hours on my SikaFlex bonded canopy. It still looks like new.
I made up some test samples and did some destructive testing on them way back when... I can't imagine it delaminating or failing before the aluminum or plexiglass would.

Same here. Fiberglass samples ripped the layers apart. The Sika didn't separate from the plexi. I didn't test with steel but I suspect the powder coat would rip loose before the Sika would release.
 
When I put this wiki page together in 2008, I recall there were about a dozen people who had done it, and some long before I put the page together. The only issues I could find at the time were from people who didn't follow the instructions for surface prep or surface priming if I recall. That's held true in the years since, I haven't heard of one delaminating where the instructions were followed.
 
I’ve heard of a few, but they all seemed to be related to poor prep - either in surface cleaning or the lack of following the directions associated with the product.

1300+ hours over nine years on my -6A without issues; this includes not only using it for the windscreen and slider portions of the canopy but also the aft skirt fabricated from fiberglass and carbon fiber.

I’d absolutely go this route again.
 
14 Michigan winters/summers on my RV-7A tip up, and it is as solid as when it was first done. I am with Chief Pilot, would absolutely do it again, and highly recommended to other builders.
 
Sika is the only way to go. No drilled holes to start cracks. Handles temperature extremes.

Consider a product call Sil-Pruf. Basically the same as Sika but easier to use. RV8 builder Ron Moring used it on Sportsman 2+2 with fantastic results. It is a little thinner and easier to use. Available from McMaster.

Silpruf is the standard material used in the installation of Glasair Sportsman 2+2 windows. In that fleet there has been one known delamination at the top edge of a windshield. The builder believes this occurred because the Silpruf was at the very end of its shelf life.

The nice thing with Silpruf is that one doesn't have to use primers, etchers or similar chemicals - only the Silpruf. The challenge is buying Silpruf that is fresh.

The windows in our Sportsman have been flying since 2017. The Silpruf provides a finish that makes the windows look like they were installed by Gulfstream rather than a homebuilder.

Check out Zach Chase's (Fibertech Composites) "how to" videos on u-tube. A bit slow to watch but he covers every detail as he was essentially the guy who developed the Silpruf method back in the Glastar days.
 
Link to product ?

Sika is the only way to go. No drilled holes to start cracks. Handles temperature extremes.

Consider a product call Sil-Pruf. Basically the same as Sika but easier to use. RV8 builder Ron Moring used it on Sportsman 2+2 with fantastic results. It is a little thinner and easier to use. Available from McMaster.

Getting ready to start slider canopy
Could you be more specific about the sil-pruf ? Search web and they have about 6 variants of the product .
Thanks
 
I used a combination of solid fasteners (screws) and Silpruf on my RV6 slider. I purchased my first tube at a local facility here in Cincinnati, but the second tube, I got from Amazon. It is SCS2000, and comes in several colors. They aren’t kidding about not using it after the stamped expiration date. The tube I got from Amazon had about 6 months left before expiration. I think a brand new tube is good for 18 months. I didn’t open one of the tubes because I decided on a different color and it’s expired. Keeping to use on other non-aviation projects. I think I paid $18. for the tubes I bought, and one tube was enough to do the entire slider canopy. The center bar on my -6 is Silpruf only - no solid fasteners. There was a gap between the center frame bar and the canopy plexi along it’s length except for the front and back ends. The Silpruf filled and bonded the gap without putting any load on the plexi by pulling it down with a rivet or screw, which will crack the canopy. In fact it did on mine, 3 months after I thought I was finished with it. So I got to do it over again, this time avoiding any pre-load anywhere.

https://metrosealant.com/product/ge...arkYdAydDR1Pl5xA7MtvLbjp4FrmeQyBoCJYUQAvD_BwE
 
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