Transparent Curtain Walls Perform Well in Blast Tests 5/3/2004
Open architecture does not have to be sacrificed in this age of security jitters. So said experts during a recent conference in Chicago called Transparency: the Art and Science in Building Design, sponsored by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Chicago.
Terry Palmer, a principal of structural engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle, cautioned attendees of the April 15-16 conference not to blow the subject of blast resistance out of proportion. He presented a concept for cable-supported glass walls outfitted with friction, viscous or yielding dampers to absorb blast pressure. Our nonlinear blast analysis shows that the effective pressure on the curtain wall will be reduced tenfold, said Palmer. That makes the damper system much more effective than a nondampened or stiff, robust system, he said.