Building Envelopes / Facades are a specialist area for us. We provide the initial sometimes complex Wind pressures, apply Barrier loading/ Thermal-Solar loads as well as any Seismic or Impact loading that may be required. From there we check all Brackets/ Rails/ Fixings to ensure the Facade meets long term ( 50-60 year) performance requirements under current Eurocode and BS Standards requirements.
Thermal Analysis, Wind Noise, Rain Penetration, Impacts, Fatigue failure.
From Curtain Walls to Balustrades, Canopies, Floors, Sculptures...anything in Glass.
We assist some of the UK leading companies and specialist Contractors, with Glass related projects across Retail/ Education/ Health/ Commercial and Private sectors.
Our knowledge of Glass Engineering is second to none with precision analysis of monolithic and laminated glass under Wind/ Impact/ Thermal, Creep and Climatic loads using PVB and SGP interlayers as required
At FCG we cover all types of Structures..many of them more specialist than others, with specific functional requirements..such as Offshore Oil & Gas, Process Sector and Marine. We blend both Structural and Mechanical Engineering expertise to cover the Equipment and the Frame together with the Motion Kinetics and Fluid interactions which can generate Noise/Vibration
/Residual Stresses
/Buckling/ Heat and Deformations, all of which need to comply with specific regulations and standards.
Designed to stop Rain from penetrating into the inner wall. Subjected to Wind, Rain, Solar Heating and Fire. We assist Clients with Analysis in any one or all areas from the Panels themselves down to the Brackets/Rails/Screws and Thermal/Moisture performance to ensure the Cladding does it job properly and to more strict regulations following Grenfell. We can assist with the Rain Penetration checks in advance of any physical testing.
Becoming a standard feature for many New Builds, the modern Balcony or Brise Soleil needs to be checked for Imposed Loads ( people) as well as turbulent Wind pressures, Wind Noise, Vibration and Fatigue.
Nobody wants to stand on a swaying or bouncing Balcony..to avoid this we undertake dynamic response checks as well as factored static loading to ensure the Main structure fixing to the building is safe and compliant. We also assess the underside Soffits and Balustrading and Privacy Panels.
Simple box shaped buildings can have predictable wind pressures for onward assessment of Facades, Balustrades, Louvres, Signage, etc. However, many buildings have complex shapes and are located close to other buildings which can create affects such as vortex shedding, large eddy currents, funnelling and unwanted vibrations in tall slender buildings. FCG have extensive knowledge of Wind Engineering and provide detailed pressure mapping for all surfaces as required.
The critical element of all structures- how does it fix together. Welds/Bolts/Brackets/Screws into Timber/ Steel / Aluminiun and Concrete... we provide the Structural analysis from the simple to the complex. Testing the full assembly as well as the individual elements against shear/ pull out/ fatigue and buckling as required.
Many structures appear to be adequate when considered under static and linear loading. However, more complex and realistic is transient, cyclic and non-linear loading which can cause responses unpredictable without specialist calculation.
Stairs/ Walkways/ Floors are all prone to complex responses...which can increase resonance, modal induced stresses over and above existing static loadings. Kinetic Facades pose specialist challenges which we help clients resolve and develop.
FCG Structural Analysts LLP
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