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Active wind load sharing optimization of double skin glazed façade design
Glazed façade design is governed by several requirements; often one of them is dominant on a component, so holistic optimization is difficult to apply. Moreover, frequently standards are not aligned with system state of the art, but they are still a reference. An example is the wind load sharing in multiple skin facades. All glazed facades have double skin areas, also when they are considered single skins. Indeed, in front of the slab, the closure has two skins, an opaque outer glazing and a metal internal sheet. The cavity is ventilated to mitigate the temperature and avoid condensation, holes or slots are provided in the framing to allow air flow. The cavity is pressure equalized with the external air and the full pressure acts on the inner skin, making useless the exterior glazing in terms of wind load sharing. The authors aim to apply an active design, which changes the equalization conditions when the wind load acts. Valves have been developed and this paper will show design and experimental testing validation. They allow the designer to provide the ventilation under serviceability conditions, but, by closing them when the wind gusts occur, in ultimate condition he can share the wind loading according to the relative skin stiffness, matching the sustainability demand by a holistic design. So, it is of paramount importance that standards recommend experimental validation to proof the system effectiveness, in addition to statements given for safe design purpose.
Active wind load sharing optimization of double skin glazed façade design
Glazed façade design is governed by several requirements; often one of them is dominant on a component, so holistic optimization is difficult to apply. Moreover, frequently standards are not aligned with system state of the art, but they are still a reference. An example is the wind load sharing in multiple skin facades. All glazed facades have double skin areas, also when they are considered single skins. Indeed, in front of the slab, the closure has two skins, an opaque outer glazing and a metal internal sheet. The cavity is ventilated to mitigate the temperature and avoid condensation, holes or slots are provided in the framing to allow air flow. The cavity is pressure equalized with the external air and the full pressure acts on the inner skin, making useless the exterior glazing in terms of wind load sharing. The authors aim to apply an active design, which changes the equalization conditions when the wind load acts. Valves have been developed and this paper will show design and experimental testing validation. They allow the designer to provide the ventilation under serviceability conditions, but, by closing them when the wind gusts occur, in ultimate condition he can share the wind loading according to the relative skin stiffness, matching the sustainability demand by a holistic design. So, it is of paramount importance that standards recommend experimental validation to proof the system effectiveness, in addition to statements given for safe design purpose.
Active wind load sharing optimization of double skin glazed façade design
Glass Struct Eng
Lori, Guido (author) / Manara, Giampiero (author) / Chiarioni, Marco (author) / Casagrande, Gianluca (author) / Dazzan, Matteo (author)
2025-03-01
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Active wind load sharing optimization of double skin glazed façade design
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