Browsing by Author "Stephan, Hendrik Christoffel"
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- ItemInvestigation of a testing approach for trapezoidal crest fastened metal cladding(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Stephan, Hendrik Christoffel; Van der Klashorst, Etienne; Goliger, A. M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Civil Engineering.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Low-rise buildings with crest fastenedmetal cladding are susceptible to failures in the vicinity of the fasteners during strongwind uplift conditions. These localised failures often lead to the progressive removal of cladding, which can cause disastrous building damage. In South Africa, the current metal cladding design approach is inadequate, since it solely relies upon manufacturer design specifications. These specifications are typically designated as broad design guidelines for the maximum allowable cladding support spacings which are independent from any specified design loads. This research focuses on the investigation of 0.50 mm ISQ550 IBR cladding systems to understand basic cladding behaviour during static wind uplift conditions and to quantify the uplift performance of IBR systems. The research investigation also included the improvement and performance evaluation of a full-scale cladding test method which applies an air-bag loading method to simulate static wind uplift conditions according to the revised SANS 10237:201X code of practice. This thesis may serve as a basis for further cladding research, and the development of suitable standardised metal cladding test methods in South Africa. Several experimental investigation methods and limited finite element analyses (FEA) were used to investigate IBR and the performance of the test methods. Tensile testing was used to determine the material properties of the cladding metal. The full-scale cladding assembly testing was used to investigate the behaviour of IBR and to evaluate the performance of the air-bag test rig. The localised behaviour of the cladding around the fasteners was also investigated with a small cladding subassembly test method. The FEA served as a supplementary investigation for IBR performance evaluation. The experimental investigation confirmed that the static wind uplift resistances of IBR systems are mainly governed by localised deformations of their fastened crests and fastener pull-through failures. The behaviour and performance of IBR systems are heavily dependent on the crest fastening arrangement. IBR systems with every crest fastening demonstrated a considerably higher wind uplift resistance than IBR systems with the standard alternate crest fastening arrangement. The measured fastener loads were independent from span length, whereas the overall uplift resistance of IBR reduced with increased span lengths. Load-span resistance data for 0.50 mm ISQ550 IBR was derived from testing to provide a rational framework for design. The FEA provided a reasonable simulation of IBR subjected to static wind uplift and confirmed the presence of high stress and strain concentrations around the fastener holes which cause fastener pull-through failures. Therefore, FEA can be used as an effective tool to investigate the behaviour of IBR. In conclusion, the air-bag test method used in this research investigation provided an effective method for evaluating the uplift performance of crest fastened metal cladding. However, the air-bag load method is not capable of accurately simulating a true uniformly distributed uplift load. It is recommended that direct air pressure testing be adopted for any further research or commercial testing ofmetal cladding because direct air pressure testing is an effective and proven test method for accurate simulation of static and cyclic wind uplift conditions.