Towards New Diagnostic Strategies and Monitoring Tools for Long-Term High-Performance Smart Facades

Abstract

Glass facades are complex systems in which glass panes are required to interact with many other load-bearing and secondary components. As a matter of fact, they represent a physical barrier expected to offer long-term structural safety, functionality and durability. On the other side, many influencing parameters make them possibly vulnerable (especially glass) and thus eventually reduce their load-baring capacity, or functionality. The effect of different mechanical and thermal boundaries and loading conditions, ambient and long-term effects, affect especially insulated glass components with continuous modifications that can alter the performance of glass components, and also minimize their capacity. It is thus of primary importance, in support of an optimal maintenance strategy for facade systems, to possibly track their response in time, and prevent major faults or performance losses, or even risk for customers. However, key performance indicators (and corresponding sensors) to monitor the response of these composite systems should be first properly detected, and supported by a robust assessment of tracked registrations towards properly established alert values. In this context, this study explores from an analytical and numerical point of view the performance of Double (DGU) and Triple (TGU) insulated glass units, when exposed to ordinary loading conditions. The goal of present analyses (preliminary to experiments) is to capture some important performance indicators, study their modification as a function of boundary / loading conditions, and define possible monitoring strategies to support the implementation of an efficient early warning system for smart facades.