Prediction of pressure equalization performance of rainscreen walls

Abstract

In recent years, rainscreen walls based on the pressure equalization principle are often used in building construction. To improve the understanding of the influence of several design parameters on the pressure equalization performance of such wall systems, a theoretical consideration of the problem may be more appropriate. On this basis, this paper presents two theoretical models, one based on mass balance and the other based on the Helmholtz resonator theory, for the prediction of cavity pressure in rigid rainscreen walls. New measures to assess the degree of pressure equalization of rainscreen walls are also suggested. The results show that the model based on mass balance is sufficiently accurate and efficient in predicting the cavity pressure variations. Further, the performance of the proposed model is evaluated utilizing the data obtained from full-scale tests and the results are discussed in detail.