Compatibility Testing of Insulating Glass PIB Primary Sealant with Respect to Glazing Materials
The intent of this document is to discuss methods of compatibility testing of glazing components with respect to Polyisobutylene (PIB) primary sealant in an insulating glass unit (IGU). Glazing system components include, but are not limited to, setting blocks, glazing sealants, spacer materials, shims and backer rods. Compatibility testing of the glazing system components may be performed by the component manufacturers, PIB supplier, or a third-party test laboratory.
In reviewing existing compatibility testing standards (see Additional Resources below), NGA/FGIA determined that the ift Rosenheim test method was the most applicable for this purpose. The test method directly assesses the effects of incompatible glazing materials on PIB primary sealants. Since no comparable consensus-based methods exist in North America, tests were performed to validate the ift Rosenheim test method, developed by ift Rosenheim GmbH in Germany. This document provides validation of the ift Rosenheim “Three-Compound Test” as well as reviews the ift Rosenheim “IGU Test”.