fishdance;955235; said:
I agree. base inbetween front, sides and back is how it's meant to be done.
If you look at the glass tanks next time your at your LFS you will notice there all made this way.
quick question on glass
- Thread starter js302
- Start date
I agree. base inbetween front, sides and back is how it's meant to be done.
If you look at the glass tanks next time your at your LFS you will notice there all made this way.
Not all tanks are identicly made.
The height also has a lot to do with how its glued on. Higher tanks requier more support so they would be like fishdance described. Shorter tanks can be built the other way aswell.
The height also has a lot to do with how its glued on. Higher tanks requier more support so they would be like fishdance described. Shorter tanks can be built the other way aswell.
Also, by putting the bottom panel between the side panels, it just makes the tank look better if it has no frame. I added sheets of styrofoam under mine when I brought it home, so now the seem is visible. (The tank trim is part of the stand.)
I'm just curious: maybe some structural engineer out there can compute which design is stronger?
Structural or Mechanical?
No calculations are involved. It only depends on the shear strength and tensile strength of the cured silicone. Every manufacturer has a different formula so the real answer can only come from their testing of their products.
Assuming that the weakest point is going to be in the adhesion to the glass (think dirty spot), then the tensile strength will be what you do not want to rely on. To cause the bottom joint to rely on the shear strength, you would put the side panels on the bottom panel.
No calculations are involved. It only depends on the shear strength and tensile strength of the cured silicone. Every manufacturer has a different formula so the real answer can only come from their testing of their products.
Assuming that the weakest point is going to be in the adhesion to the glass (think dirty spot), then the tensile strength will be what you do not want to rely on. To cause the bottom joint to rely on the shear strength, you would put the side panels on the bottom panel.
by the way, if you superglue the tips of your index fingers together and then pull them apart, the glue will experience tensile stress.
If you glue the bottom of one finger to the top of the other and then pull them, the glue will be in shear.
If you glue the bottom of one finger to the top of the other and then pull them, the glue will be in shear.
Chompers - you can use electrical tape to hide the polystyrene white base and the visible glue line quite effectively. if you cant get a good colour match to your plastic corners, then electrical tape the corners too! You wont even notice.
Back to those thinking about which construction method is stronger for larger glass tanks. I remembered something which might help people - Concrete tanks! When constructing slab tanks (ie sides made from sheets of concrete) these tanks have their sides joined and then the bottom poured. ie imagine you are standing inside a large shark tank..... to waterproof securely, do you seal the gap between the sides and the existing bottom your standing on? Or do you pour another bottom within the tank? The answer is the second method (of course).
On large/deep glass tanks, the bottom is usually thicker than the sides too so glueing the base between will provide more glue bond area. I feel this thread is like flogging a dead horse though so people can choose whichever they wish. Its only important on larger tanks since silicon is such amazing stuff.
Back to those thinking about which construction method is stronger for larger glass tanks. I remembered something which might help people - Concrete tanks! When constructing slab tanks (ie sides made from sheets of concrete) these tanks have their sides joined and then the bottom poured. ie imagine you are standing inside a large shark tank..... to waterproof securely, do you seal the gap between the sides and the existing bottom your standing on? Or do you pour another bottom within the tank? The answer is the second method (of course).
On large/deep glass tanks, the bottom is usually thicker than the sides too so glueing the base between will provide more glue bond area. I feel this thread is like flogging a dead horse though so people can choose whichever they wish. Its only important on larger tanks since silicon is such amazing stuff.
