Performance of Screen Enclosures under Repeated Loading Cycles
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27, Issue 4
Abstract
Aluminum screen enclosures suffer from significant damage in hurricanes. In an attempt to identify ways to minimize the damage to screen enclosures, experimental investigations were conducted to study how screen enclosures perform when they are subjected to repeated loading cycles. The loading cycles mimic gradually increasing hurricane winds, while considering the fluctuating nature of the wind. Three types of specimens were constructed and tested. Their overall geometry was the same but their bracing strategies were different. Three damage indices were used to analyze the data. Qualitative assessment and comparison of damage was also conducted. Overall, K-type bracing was most effective followed by cable bracing. Lack of bracing resulted in sudden failure. Beam-to-host connections were very critical in preventing catastrophic failure. Suggestions on how to improve beam-to-host connections are provided along with other measures to mitigate the damage on screen enclosures. Where feasible, the most important measure to reduce damage would be the installation of a proper bracing system; however, other proposed measures would also strengthen the structure against hurricane winds.
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Acknowledgments
The research was sponsored by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Florida Department of Financial Services, and the Florida Catastrophic Storm Risk Management Center. Additional gratitude is expressed to Mr. Jack Johnson, Mr. Austin Stilson, and Mr. Joshua Turley, who helped in conducting the experiments and preparing some figures. The figure for a beam-to-host connection was prepared by Mr. Michael Schellhammer. Mr. David Miller, Chair of the Aluminum Association of Florida Technical Committee, provided valuable input in developing the initial plan for the research.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27 • Issue 4 • August 2013
Pages: 415 - 423
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 10, 2011
Accepted: Jan 13, 2012
Published online: Jan 19, 2012
Published in print: Aug 1, 2013
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