7 Key Considerations Of Choosing An Aluminum Curtain Wall

By Author: Mable Hall
Total Articles: 75
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An aluminum curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the walls are nonstructural. Their primary purpose is simply to keep the weather out and provide protection for occupants and items. Since it is nonstructural it is often made of lightweight material such as aluminum which reduces construction costs. While the first curtain walls were made of steel, today’s most popular options are the aluminum curtain wall. When selecting a specific aluminum curtain wall there are several key structural characteristics to consider.

Potential Loads

The first consideration is what type of loads the curtain wall will be asked to sustain. There are a variety of different types of loads imposed on the curtain wall and transferred to the building structure based upon where the building is located. The debt load is the weight of structural elements and permanent features on the structure. This means the debt load will need to be considered for all aluminum curtain walls. Based on the location of the building, from a geographic perspective, other loads to consider include the wind load, seismic load, snow load, ...
... blast load, and thermal load.

Air/Water Penetration

When selecting an aluminum curtain wall air infiltration and water penetration are important considerations as well. Air infiltration is when air passes through the curtain wall from the exterior to the interior of the building. Many walls now use injection molded air and water deflectors to prevent this. Similar to air, water penetration is important to consider as well. Sometimes, a small amount of controlled water on the interior is deemed acceptable based upon the building specifications.

Deflection

Deflection limits are critical to consider when comparing aluminum curtain walls because using aluminum may be deflected or displaced more readily than steel. This is because aluminum is more elastic. It is generally assumed that aluminum suffers from three time’s greater deflection than steel under any given load.

Maximum Usable Stress

Strength or maximum usable stress is not related to material stiffness but rather the aluminum curtain wall design and analysis. Specific shapes of aluminum have proven to provide a higher level of maximum usable stress than others. This is a key consideration during the initial design and engineering process.

Thermal Criteria

Depending upon the type of building components used, thermal criteria may be a critical factor. Aluminum curtain walls have a high heat transfer coefficient which means extreme hot and cold environments will affect the long-term operating cost of heating and cooling the building. Thermal breaks are barriers between the exterior metal and interior metal and can be effectively used to limit how much heat is conducted through the aluminum curtain wall.

Type of Infill

In some cases, the infill or panels inserted into the curtain wall between the aluminum, may affect the overall design. Popular infill options include glass, fabric veneer, stone, panels, and windows/events.

My name is Mable Hall, a professional freelance writer, like to introduce Wonjin Aluminum Co Ltd . When selecting a specific Aluminum Curtain Wall there are several key structural characteristics to consider.