Structural glazing facade

Example of an SG facade

A structural glazing facade ( SG facade or SSGS facade : structural sealant glazing system ) is a glass facade in which the glass elements are held in the support system by gluing and can have a stiffening effect.

A structural glazing facade is usually a curtain-type facade construction that only carries dead loads and the substructure of which is set back behind the facade surface. Such facades appear homogeneous and filigree, as often only the narrow joints between the elements are visible.

Admission

A European Technical Approval (ETA) is required for SG facades . The “Guideline for European technical approval for bonded glass constructions” (ETAG 002) applies. Approval can be applied for at the German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt) in Berlin. In Germany, some manufacturers have general building inspectorate approval that allows the installation of such facade systems up to a height of 100 m. The approval achieved in each case for SG facades is only valid in the tested system. In the tested system, all built-in individual parts / products are tested in the assembled state. This tests the system suitability and compatibility of all installed components. This type of test differs from European harmonized products, whose material properties are approved / tested. The latter means that the connection with certain surfaces, the application of pre-treatment measures, the use of materials, manufacturing controls and installation must be carried out in accordance with the approved rules and regulations.

Section and perspective of an SG facade (Fig. 1). The weight of the glass pane is usually carried by steel brackets, which are not visible here, or thin, horizontal metal profiles.

Load bearing

In addition to the mechanical loads , the facade elements are also subjected to high thermal loads. In terms of mechanical loads, a distinction is made between permanent loads and variable loads.

The dead weight of the facade elements (constant load) is absorbed by concealed supporting structures (substructure). The gluing replaces the usual external pressure bars, which position the glass panes and absorb variable loads such as wind pressure , wind suction and earthquake loads .

View of the bearing conditions - outside (Fig. 2)

Installation

Mechanical brackets are not required for installation heights of up to 8 m. For installation heights above this, an additional mechanical device is required in Germany to attach the filling element to the substructure; in Austria, other European countries and the USA, additional brackets are not required. The additional bracket is connected directly to the substructure and serves as an additional safeguard in the event of glass breakage or failure of the bond.

Filling elements

Insulating glass or single glass is used for transparent filling elements . Single glass only makes sense if the thermal insulation is taken over by an additional facade layer behind it. When choosing non-transparent panels , make sure that the edge area of the filler element is compatible with the gluing of the glass elements.

Bonding

The bonding takes on the task of sealing and fastening . It is applied all the way around the filler element and represents a linear support of the filler element. Unevenness and the peak stresses caused by them are compensated.

When installing the bond, the following processes are used: First, the filling elements are attached to the substructure with retaining clips in order to absorb the dead weight of the element. Then the joints are filled. Only silicone is used as a filler material to withstand external influences such as UV radiation, water, water vapor, thermal expansion, temperature fluctuations (in extreme areas) and aggressive media.

In general, the joints are 15 mm wide and 5 mm deep. The distance between the joints is determined on the one hand by the size of the filler element and the resulting load on the joint, and on the other by the external appearance of the facade. The grout has a minimum durability of 20 years when installed correctly.

Substructure

The principle of the mullion and transom construction is used as the substructure . Various materials can be used (e.g. wood or aluminum / steel profiles) to produce the construction profile. In addition to the classic post-and-beam construction, the supporting net can also consist of a rope construction . The filling elements are fastened to the rope structure with so-called spiders; these can be clamped or guided through a drill hole in the filling element.

Assembly

In Germany, the regulations DIN EN 13022-1: 2014 and DIN EN 13022-2: 2014-08 apply to the assembly and manufacture of structural glazing facades.

Requirements / installation conditions

The following environmental conditions must be observed when installing SG facades:

The nearer ambient temperature and the surface temperature must be between 10 ° C and 35 ° C.
Depending on the dew point temperature of the substrate (on which the sealant is applied), the relative humidity must be 5% below the dew point (this value depends on the ambient temperature).
The installation environment must be free of dust and dirt.
It must be ensured that the filling element is securely fastened until the bond has hardened completely.
The hardening / drying times must be observed in accordance with the manufacturer's conditions (observe user information).

After the bond has hardened, the required performance characteristics, such as construction requirements and durability, must be met.

Installation documentation

The technical documentation of the assembly takes place in an assembly manual , which regulates the project-specific features for production, assembly, quality assurance and control. The following points must be taken into account in the installation manual, which must be specified with their design, marking and labeling:

Project participants, organizational structures and responsibilities
required features of the overall construction
Components and materials
Cleaning and preparation agents for the substructure and the adhesive surfaces
Equipment, tools and facilities required for transport, storage, cleaning and assembly
Positioning of the substructure and the filling elements (before gluing), use of holding devices
Production of the sealant / bonding
Curing conditions (curing / drying times)
Follow-up treatments
Compatibility of different materials
Conditions for examination and control

Further planning and construction requirements

When planning SG facades, different properties must be taken into account:

Fire protection - Before a fire protection assessment, the installation location of the construction must first be determined. From this it follows what fire resistance the component has to provide and what external fire load is applied to the component. Another point to be considered is the fire behavior of the building material and the spread of the fire.
Safety aspects when using - When installing safety glass as a filler element, various attacks must be ensured in order to ensure the protection of people and goods. Impact resistance, breakthrough resistance, bullet resistance and explosion resistance must be ensured in accordance with the installation location. Protection against burglary is also of great importance. The resistance to sudden temperature differences and the resistance to wind loads, snow loads, permanent loads and payloads must be checked in advance and the component must be dimensioned accordingly.
Building physics - In order to produce an energy-efficient building that has a comfortable climate, the building physics must be optimized beforehand. The optimization parameters are airtightness , thermal conductivity , sound insulation and moisture .
Health protection - In order to avoid the release of hazardous substances from the material, the component must be checked for its properties. In addition, the physical properties in relation to health protection must be checked (such as moisture, heat, sound ...).

literature

Peter Rice , Hugh Dutton: Transparent Architecture . 1st edition, Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1995, ISBN 3-7643-5135-7 .

Web links

Commons : Structural glazing - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e http://www.baunetzwissen.de/standardartikel/Glas_Structural-Glazing-Fassaden_159178.html
^ Structural glazing | The adhesive professional. In: www.kleeprofi.net. Retrieved July 13, 2016 .
↑ ^a ^b Ufl Hestermann, Ludwig Rongen: Frick / Knöll Baustruktionslehre 1 . 35th edition. tape 1 . Vieweg + Teubner, Wiesbaden 2010, ISBN 978-3-8348-0837-0 , p. 878 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d DIN German Institute for Standardization eV: DIN EN 13022-1: Glass in Building - Glued Glazing Part 1 . Ed .: DIN German Institute for Standardization eV Beuth Verlag GmbH, Berlin June 2014, p. 28 .
↑ Bernhard Weller, Jasmin Fischer: Investigation of an insulated panel with integrated photovoltaics for use in mullion and transom constructions (insulated PV panel) . Ed .: Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development. Fraunhofer IRB Verlag, Stuttgart 2015, ISBN 978-3-8167-9433-2 , p. 67 .
↑ Frick / Knöll Bau Konstruktionslehre 1, 35th edition, Vieweg + Teubner Verlag, ISBN 978-3-8348-0837-0
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g DIN German Institute for Standardization eV: DIN EN 13022-2: Glass in Building - Glued Glazing Part 2 . Ed .: DIN German Institute for Standardization eV Beuth Verlag GmbH, Berlin June 2014, p. 40 .

[:0-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e http://www.baunetzwissen.de/standardartikel/Glas_Structural-Glazing-Fassaden_159178.html

[2] Structural glazing | The adhesive professional. In: www.kleeprofi.net. Retrieved July 13, 2016 .

[:3-3] Ufl Hestermann, Ludwig Rongen: Frick / Knöll Baustruktionslehre 1 . 35th edition. tape 1 . Vieweg + Teubner, Wiesbaden 2010, ISBN 978-3-8348-0837-0 , p. 878 .

[:4-4] DIN German Institute for Standardization eV: DIN EN 13022-1: Glass in Building - Glued Glazing Part 1 . Ed .: DIN German Institute for Standardization eV Beuth Verlag GmbH, Berlin June 2014, p. 28 .

[5] Bernhard Weller, Jasmin Fischer: Investigation of an insulated panel with integrated photovoltaics for use in mullion and transom constructions (insulated PV panel) . Ed .: Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development. Fraunhofer IRB Verlag, Stuttgart 2015, ISBN 978-3-8167-9433-2 , p. 67 .

[:1-6] Frick / Knöll Bau Konstruktionslehre 1, 35th edition, Vieweg + Teubner Verlag, ISBN 978-3-8348-0837-0

[:2-7] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g DIN German Institute for Standardization eV: DIN EN 13022-2: Glass in Building - Glued Glazing Part 2 . Ed .: DIN German Institute for Standardization eV Beuth Verlag GmbH, Berlin June 2014, p. 40 .