Engineering exterior translucent coatings with the use of profile glass and composite materials

Abstract

The paper raises certain questions concerning the use of structural glass (glazing) in external vertical enclosures of modern construction systems, pointing to the need for combining composite materials, especially composite foam, in translucent enclosures, which helps dramatically reduce the weight of external panels while improving their heat and sound insulation performance. It also emphasizes the relevance of energy efficiency at the building operation and building construction stages, as energy efficiency is not only the heat saving performance during building operation, but also a high effectiveness of the construction technology. The novelty of the study lies in engineering a wall panel possibly combining two materials - profiled glass and composite foam. The paper not only details the panel design, but also describes the manufacturing technology and the envelope arranging processes with two wall panel attachment methods and related joint assemblies. Based on a number of scientific publications, the handling mechanisms are discussed suitable for different ways of coupling the structural elements - wall panel and floor slab. Focusing on box-type structural glazing, the authors stress the need for further study involving other types of structural glass (channel shaped, ribbed, trimmed) to create multicomponent wall panels for a variety of regional climate conditions.