Dow Corning, a provider of silicone and silicon-based solutions, has achieved positive results for its silicone structural sealants that were used on the platform screen doors of the Shanghai Metro Line. The Shanghai Metro Project is part of China’s 12th Five-Year Plan to sustain growth in the face of opportunities and problems resulting out of the country’s rapid urbanization.
China’s city planners are endeavoring to build a mass transport system that scores high on energy efficiency and safety. The screen doors are important from a safety perspective and help protect passengers by separating the cars from the platform. These doors must also be capable of enduring wind pressure, earthquakes, crowds and other factors. Consequently, the sealants used in the door frames and glass should be able to withstand all this pressure. The engineers for the Shanghai Metro Project chose Dow Corning silicone structural sealants owing to their durability, strength and ability to withstand both high and low temperatures.
Dow Corning sealants not only fulfill the safety function but also contribute to energy conservation by decreasing the environmental control system’s energy consumption, thereby reducing carbon emissions. Dow Corning’s success in the Metro Project has led to other Chinese cities like Beijing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Guangzhou and Tianjin adopting the structural sealants in their projects. Some of the famous projects in China that employed Dow Corning’s products are China Pavilion, Shanghai Expo 2010 Theme Pavilion and Performing Arts Center. Dow Corning’s structural sealants have also been used worldwide in most of the buildings that figure in the top-20 highest buildings such as Taipei 101, Burj Khalifa Tower and Petronus Twin Tower.
Source: http://www.dowcorning.com/