Response of structurally glazed insulating glass units to wind pressures

Abstract

Structural glazing has become a popular method for finishing building exteriors. Structural glazing is a system of bonding glass, stone, or other materials to a building frame using structural silicone seals. Some structural glazing systems use insulating glass (IG) units with structural silicone holding all four sides of an IG unit to a building frame. No mechanical connectors hold the IG units in place. The response of these four-sided structrally glazed IG units to wind pressures is complex. Researchers at Texas Tech University conducted experiments on four-sided structurally glazed IG units. Each structurally glazed IG unit underwent applied simulated wind pressures (negative and positive) on one or both sides of the sample. Instruments measured changes in structural seal and IG seal shapes. This paper discusses the effects of different applied pressures on structural seal and IG seal shapes of a selected test sample.