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Sponsored by ASCE's Architectural Engineering Institute and ASCE Continuing Education.
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Purpose and Background
A curtain wall system is a specialized type of cladding typically used in the construction of commercial and institutional buildings. These curtain wall systems need to be designed so that they will accommodate the expected: structural loading, temperature variations, and building displacements while at the same time preventing and/or minimizing air & water intrusion. While the ability of the curtain wall system to support most of the expected structural loading, can in many cases be documented with analytical calculations, the ability of the curtain wall system to remain air and water tight before, during, and after the application of these loads is best documented with a full scale mockup test. Performance of a curtain wall system when it is exposed to expected design level building displacement, either due to wind or seismic loading, is usually best documented with a full scale mockup test.
Modern curtain wall systems must be able to accommodate expected structural loading and displacements imposed on the building system they are attached to. These loads can include: wind, seismic, thermal, live load, snow load, etc. The displacements can include: floor live load deflection, thermal expansion, displacement due to wind and seismic loading. Displacements due to design level seismic events can be particularly large due the building code allowances for the building structure to yield. The ability of the curtain wall system to accommodate these displacements without glass fallout is of particular importance in areas of high seismic activity. This webinar focuses on how modern curtain wall systems are tested to document that they can support the design level structural loading and in particular expected design level building displacement.
Primary Topics of Discussion
- What is a full scale curtain wall mockup
- Why full-scale mockup testing is performed
- Overview of a mockup test: curtain wall units, chamber, equipment, loading, and displacement
- What elements of the curtain wall system can be tested in the mockup
- Detailed review of how different types of curtain wall systems respond to in-plane lateral displacement
- Performance assessment after testing is completed
Learning Outcomes
- Gain an awareness of how curtain wall systems are tested using full scale mockups.
- Learn how different kinds of curtain wall systems can accommodate lateral displacements.
- Discover what mockups can tell you about the performance of the curtain wall system that analytical calculations cannot.
Webinar Benefits
- Overview of the variety of tests that can be performed on a full-scale curtain wall mockup.
- Detailed study of lateral displacement testing of different types of curtain wall systems.
- Overview of published research on different types of curtain wall systems.
Intended Audience
- Architect
- Engineers
- Facility managers
- Building owners
- Building department officials
Webinar Outline
- What is a curtain wall mockup and why is it performed
- What are the different testing protocols involved in a curtain wall mockup: ASTM, AAMA, etc.
- Specific structural characteristics of the curtain wall system that can be evaluated
- Differences between AMMA 501.4 and AAMA 501.6 testing protocols
- How different curtain wall systems (i.e. stick or unitized) behave when subjected to lateral displacement
- Performance assessment after a mockup test
- What types of damage assessment can be evaluated during a mockup test—Service vs. Ultimate.
- Summary