Wind-Induced Dynamic Behavior of Single-Skin Curtain-Wall System: A Comparative Numerical Study
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 4
Abstract
Glass curtain walls, while broadly used as a building facade, are vulnerable to extreme winds. Curtain-wall failures in major wind events lead to substantial economic losses, and wind-induced vibration is often a major contributing factor to such failures. The main objectives of this study are to (i) present high-fidelity numerical modeling techniques to reproduce the wind-induced dynamic behavior of building facades, specifically focusing on a single-skin curtain-wall system, and (ii) highlight the impact of the interaction between facade and building structure on the wind-induced dynamic behavior of the curtain-wall system. The developed finite-element model is calibrated for a particular wind scenario tested at the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Wall of Wind Experimental Facility (WOW EF) at Florida International University (FIU), and subsequently validated to assess whether it can realistically reproduce the dynamic behavior in different scenarios involving various wind speeds and directions. This study also uncovers that the interaction between the facade and the building structure plays an important role in governing the wind-induced dynamic behavior of the curtain wall. In addition, this study finds that the presence of a vertical protrusion, attached to the facade for architectural reasons, may negatively impact the wind-induced dynamic response of the curtain wall, with this impact being influenced by the interaction between facade and structure. This study reports the significant discoveries, contributing new insights to facade design and the engineering industry.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work is sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. IIP 1841503 and the I/UCRC Wind Hazard and Infrastructure Performance (WHIP) #2019-04 and #2020-04. The experiments in this project were conducted at the NHERI WOW EF (National Science Foundation Award No. 1520853 and No. 2037899). The authors are grateful to all laboratory staff at the WOW EF for the wind tunnel experiment. The authors also would like to thank the WHIP Industrial Advisory Board members for their comments and feedback. The authors would like to extend their appreciation to the Permasteelisa Group for providing the single-skin curtain-wall sample and its installation. The authors are grateful to Midas IT for providing a research license of Midas Gen FEA software. The authors also express appreciation toward Dr. Minwoo Chang for the ERA-OKID-OO code used in this study. The financial aid provided by the Florida International University Graduate School through Doctoral Evidence Acquisition Fellowship and Dissertation Year Fellowship awarded to the first author of this paper is greatly appreciated. The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not represent the opinions of the funding agencies.
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Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 4 • December 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 16, 2023
Accepted: Jun 18, 2024
Published online: Sep 9, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Feb 9, 2025
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