Exterior wall panel system

Abstract

An exterior wall panel system is provided. The exterior wall panel system includes a wall panel and a wall support member. The wall panel includes an exterior facade attached to a panel perimeter frame having a head frame with inner male panel joint legs, a jamb frame, and a base frame with female panel joint pockets. The wall support member includes an extruded structural member having a panel mounting flange and a factory-installed panel fastener on the panel mounting flange. The panel fastener includes a fastener stem having a stem diameter and a fastener head. The head frame or jamb frame has factory-fabricated jamb fastener holes for interfacing with the panel fastener.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 381,473, filed October 28, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an exterior wall panel system and method of assembly thereof. The exterior wall panel system includes pre-assembled exterior wall panels having spaced apart panels supporting vertical or horizontal mullions. [Background technology]

[0003] The first-generation air-operated system uses an externally exposed aluminum panel frame system, primarily used in many jobs worldwide to solve curtain wall water leakage problems. The second-generation air-operated system uses an externally hidden frame system, employing structural silicone caulking between the facade and the panel frame to meet the aesthetic needs of the building's exterior. The structural silicone caulking is designed to fill a designed pocket between the panel frame and the exterior facade, such as aluminum plate, ACM (aluminum composite material), or conventional IG (insulating glass). This design requirement poses a factory quality control issue because the caulking cannot be visually inspected after application. This issue occurred on one U.S. air-operated system job. The third-generation air-operated system uses an externally hidden frame system, employing structural tape between the facade and the panel frame to solve the quality control issue of the silicone caulking design. This third-generation air-operated system has been successfully used on several jobs worldwide. The fourth-generation air-operated system primarily uses panels with a large vent space between the outer and inner glass panes to improve thermal and acoustic insulation values. The outer glass panes are secured to a hidden frame behind them using construction tape, while the inner glass is glazed into the panel frame using a gasket system.

[0004] In all four generations, vertical air-actuated mullions are required along the panel jamb frame for drainage and structural connection between the panel jamb frame and the water seal fingers of the air-actuated mullion. Due to structural connection requirements, a vertical joint of approximately 3 / 4 inch (19 mm) is required for a minimum mullion bay distance of approximately 36 inches (914 mm) to assemble the panels. The exterior aesthetic requirements for modern buildings are for hidden frame curtain wall systems with a gridline clearance of 1 / 4 inch (6.4 mm) and an allowable gap construction tolerance of 1 / 16 inch (1.6 mm). Generation 4 air-actuated systems do not meet this requirement.

[0005] In addition, some curtain wall consultants are unhappy with excessive air leakage rates in the downwind wall of air-actuated systems, especially in tall panels. The air leakage test method specified by the American Standard of Test Methods (ASTM) for energy loss concerns is based on the air leakage rate with the daily prevailing wind speed (i.e., positive wind pressure) only on the windward wall. Excessive air leakage rates (i.e., negative wind pressure) on the downwind wall occur in air-actuated systems during high-wind events such as hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones. This special behavior of air-actuated systems is known as "pressure venting" in high-wind conditions, which is a good behavior because structural safety concerns in high-wind conditions take precedence over daily energy loss concerns. However, some curtain wall consultants are concerned that during the construction phase of mockup testing, the specified maximum negative pressure cannot be reached (i.e., the negative pressure venting behavior cannot be overcome) due to capacity limitations of laboratory equipment. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, the present invention proposes an improved exterior wall panel system to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In at least one embodiment, the present invention provides an exterior wall panel system. The exterior wall panel system includes a wall panel and a wall support member. The wall panel includes an exterior facade attached to a panel perimeter frame having a head frame with inner male panel joint legs, a jamb frame, and a base frame with female panel joint pockets. The wall support member includes an extruded structural member with a panel mounting flange and a factory-installed panel fastener on the panel mounting flange. The panel fastener includes a fastener stem having a stem diameter and a fastener head. The head frame includes a factory-fabricated head fastener hole for on-site connection with the panel fastener. The head fastener hole includes a lower portion having a hole size larger than the fastener head and an upper portion having an elongated hole with a width slightly larger than the stem diameter.

[0008] In at least one embodiment, the present invention provides an exterior wall panel system. The exterior wall panel system includes a wall panel and a wall support member. The wall panel includes an exterior facade attached to a panel perimeter frame having a head frame with inner male panel joint legs, a jamb frame, and a base frame with female panel joint pockets. The wall support member includes an extruded structural member with a panel mounting flange and a factory-installed panel fastener on the panel mounting flange. The panel fastener includes a fastener stem having a stem diameter and a fastener head. The jamb frame includes a factory-fabricated jamb fastener hole for interfacing with the panel fastener during panel assembly. The jamb fastener hole includes a lower portion having a hole size larger than the fastener head and an upper portion having an elongated hole with a width slightly larger than the stem diameter. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an exterior wall panel system having one or more of the following advantages (1) to (10). (1) To provide an exterior hidden frame wall panel design with structural tape for both the visible and spandrel panels to significantly reduce factory labor for assembling the panels. (2) To provide an exterior concealed frame wall panel design with variable minimum grid line gaps without changing the basic panel frame. (3) Eliminates on-site labor for installing rainscreen and water seal members onto the panel head frames of air-actuated panels. (4) Eliminates minimum allowable panel width restrictions, allowing complete freedom in exterior aesthetic gridline design. (5) Assemble wall panels without on-site labor to install any panel fasteners. (6) Ensure consistent and good quality of assembled walls by changing the most important and difficult on-site quality control items into consistent and easy factory quality control procedures. (7) Provide approximately the same air leakage rate at the windward and leeward walls. (8) Providing a rapid, on-site method for replacing individual panels anywhere in the wall, which can significantly reduce curtain wall maintenance costs in the event of partial wall damage from a hurricane or earthquake, as well as when replacing malfunctioning panels such as solar or dynamic glass panels. (9) Using aluminum plate or ACM as the exterior facade provides a significant structural improvement for negative wind loads in addition to eliminating the need for facade reinforcement on long spandrel panels. (10) Eliminate the problem of late panel position recovery of air-actuated panels after interfloor drift due to windstorms or earthquakes.

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following, embodiments will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in order to make the technical contents, features and effects of the present invention easier to understand. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of an exterior wall panel system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a partial horizontal cross-sectional view of an exterior wall panel system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partial rear view of the head frame and the vertical frame according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a rear view of an assembled wall panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of an exterior wall panel system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a partial horizontal cross-sectional view of an exterior wall panel system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Due to the frequent need to refer to multiple figures, the following (1)-(2) conventions for element numbering are used in this section: (1) all elements are numbered with three digits, and (2) the first digit of an element is the number of the figure in which the element is shown and / or described. For example, element 108 is shown and / or described in FIG. 1, element 203 is shown and / or described in FIG. 2, etc.

[0013] The present invention relates to an exterior wall panel system and its assembly method. The exterior wall panel system includes a pre-assembled exterior wall panel having spaced panels supporting vertical or horizontal mullions. The wall panel consists of an exterior facade board secured to a backup frame. The backup frame consists of two parallel horizontal members, known as the head frame and still frame, and two parallel vertical members, known as the jamb frame, with an interlocking male / female joint design between two adjacent panels. The panels can be used for a single function, which is an exterior aesthetic function, or for full-function curtain wall panels, such as air-actuated systems known in the industry. The present invention uses an air-actuated system as an example to demonstrate advances in curtain wall panel assembly technology.

[0014] For a first embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows a cross section of the base frame 104 of the upper spandrel panel 100 and the head frame 105 of the lower visible panel 101, which form small horizontal exterior panel joints 102 and small horizontal interior panel joints 103. The joints 102 and 103 preferably have the same dimensions so that the weight of the spandrel panel 100 rests on the head frame 105 in the event of inter-floor deflection without buckling the unprotected bottom edge of the exterior spandrel facade 106. Aluminum plate or ACM is typically used for the spandrel facade 106. The edges of the exterior visible facade 107 are protected by small additional aluminum angles 108 secured to the head frame 105 near the panel perimeter line using spaced fasteners 109 with perimeter sealing caulking 110.

[0015] The bottom of the head screw hole 300 on the screw head side of the screw 209 has a gentle slope 121 from the bottom of the head screw hole 300 to the top edge of the head of the head screw 209, which forms a small gap 122 at the bottom edge of the screw head of the head screw 209. The gap 122 is designed to be the compression degree of the sealing tape 208 recommended by the tape manufacturer.

[0016] Composite foam panels 112 supported by spaced setting blocks 113 are typically used behind the exterior spandrel facade 106 to improve thermal insulation value and are glazed in with glazing beads 114. Spaced air inlet holes 115 are provided in the insulating I-bracing members.

[0017] The inner visible facade 116 of the visible panel 101 is glazed in with a spacer frame 117 and glazing beads 114 .

[0018] Both the external spandrel facade 106 and the external visible facade 107 are secured to the panel frame using structural tape 111 .

[0019] The head frame (not shown) of the spandrel panel 100 is the same as the basic head frame 105 without the angles 108. The base frame (not shown) of the visible panel 101 is the same as the base frame 104 except for the added small angles 108. The jamb frame 211 has the same external shape as the base frame 104 of the spandrel panel 100 except that it does not have the air inlet holes 115.

[0020] In summary, the advantage achieved by the present invention is to provide an exterior hidden frame wall panel design with structural tape for both the visible and spandrel panels to significantly reduce factory labor for assembling the panels. However, the small angles 108 can be manufactured as an integral part of each panel frame member of the visible panel 101 by trading off this advantage with the additional factory labor of manufacturing the angles 108 and fastening them to each panel frame using fasteners 109.

[0021] For visible panels 101, the dimensions of the exterior joints 102 and interior joints 103 can be varied by changing the size of the angles 108 without changing the basic outline of the head frame 105. For spandrel panels 100, the dimensions of the exterior joints 102 and interior joints 103 can be varied simply by changing the distance of the spandrel facade edge 118 to the structural tape 111.

[0022] In summary, the advantage achieved by the present invention is to provide an exterior hidden frame wall panel design with variable minimum gridline gaps without modifying the basic panel frame.

[0023] The rainscreen member 119 and the water seal member 120 are an integral part of the head frame 105. Thus, an advantage achieved by the present invention is the elimination of on-site labor to install the rainscreen member and the water seal member onto the panel head frame of the air-actuated panel.

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a horizontal cross section of an air-actuated mullion 201 with an air-actuated spandrel panel 202 installed on the right and an air-actuated visibility panel 203 installed on the left, forming a small exterior vertical joint 204. Vertical rainscreen gaskets 205 are factory-installed on both sides of the mullion head 207. Vertical water seal gaskets 206 are factory-installed on both sides of the air-actuated mullion 201. Compressible single-sided adhesive sealing tape 208 and panel head screws 209 are factory-installed on both sides of the mullion 201. Screws 209 or 309 are factory-installed at the design position with a gage projection depth through the sealing tape 208 and panel mounting flanges 212 to enable on-site panel joining. The jamb frame 211 of panel 202 or 203 does not structurally bond to the mullion 201 for negative wind loads; therefore, the panel 202 or 203 can move freely inward or outward during assembly, regardless of panel width, even with the small joint 204. This means that the advantage achieved by the present invention is the elimination of minimum permissible panel width restrictions, allowing complete freedom in exterior aesthetic gridline design. The panels are moved into position and locked into factory-installed head screws 209 on the adjacent mullions using special head screw holes 300. This procedure eliminates on-site labor for fastening the panels. Therefore, the advantage achieved by the present invention is the assembly of wall panels without on-site labor for installing any panel fasteners. Because screws 209 and 309 are installed at the factory with precise gauge penetration distances into panel mounting flanges 212, the most critical and difficult on-site quality control item of the panel fastening procedure (too tight or too loose) is replaced by a consistent, controllable factory procedure. Therefore, the advantage achieved by the present invention is the assurance of consistently good quality of assembled walls by changing the most critical and difficult on-site quality control item into a consistent, easy factory quality control item.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a partial rear view of one of the two panel top corners with head screw holes 300. The other side of the panel top corner is the opposite side of the drawing. The diameter of the notched bottom circle 301 is slightly larger than the head size of the head screw 209. The width 302 of the top slot is slightly larger than the diameter of the head screw 209. Because the two head screw holes 300 are on the same head frame, very tight manufacturing tolerances can be achieved during factory manufacture. Line 304 is the top of the male panel joint leg 123. Line 305 is the bottom line of the inner panel joint 103. Line 306 is the mitered joint line between the head frame 105 or 504 and the jamb frame 211 or 600.

[0026] At least one optional jamb screw hole 307 for interfacing with a jamb screw 309 can be used in each jamb frame 211 or 600 to reinforce and strengthen the jamb frame 211 or 600 against negative wind loads. The location of the jamb screw hole 307 is subject to tolerance stackup for cutting the panel frame and assembling the miter corners, and therefore the jamb screw hole 307 is modified from the head screw hole 300 with the elongated bottom hole 308, with the theoretical installation location of the jamb screw 309 below the top of the jamb screw hole 307. This modification ensures panel interfacing with both the head screw 209 and the jamb screw 309.

[0027] The jamb screws 309 prevent lateral deformation of the jamb frame 211 or 600 as well as torsional rotation due to deflection of the exterior spandrel facade 106 or the exterior visible facade 107 under negative wind pressure. In fact, the pressure venting behavior of the air actuated system is greatly reduced to eliminate the concerns of some curtain wall consultants.

[0028] The panel assembly procedure is described below. (1) The panel is bent from outside to inside, allowing the heads of the two adjacent mullion head screws 209 and jamb screws 309 to simultaneously join with the notched bottom circles 301 and elongated bottom holes 308 of the respective screw holes 300 and 307. This process places no limit on the minimum panel width allowable in the present invention. (2) When the screw heads of the head screws 209 and the vertical frame screws 309 pass through the notched bottom circles 301 and the elongated bottom holes 308 of the respective screw holes 300 and 307, the panel weight causes the panel joints to form horizontal panel joints 102 and 103, and the installation position is when the head screws 209 contact the tops of the head screw holes 300 to take the static load of the panel. The gap 122 makes it very easy to start this process without compressing the air seal tape 208, and the designed compression degree of the tape 208 is automatically achieved. (3) The above procedure automatically places the vertical frame screws 309 in the installation position.

[0029] The air seal performance can be explained by simultaneously referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, as listed below. (1) The optional vertical frame screw 309 is located near the center of the air seal tape 208 (i.e., at the same left-right position of the screw 209 as shown in FIG. 2). Referring to FIG. 2, the vertical frame screw 309 prevents lateral movement of the vertical frame frame 211 under positive or negative wind loads. (2) Under any wind load condition, the rotation moment of the vertical frame 211 or 600 due to the deflection of the external facade is resisted by the vertical frame screws 309. Under positive wind load conditions, the edge of the air seal tape 208 near the glazing bead 114 is compressed to achieve a good air seal. Under negative wind load conditions, the edge of the air seal tape 208 near the tip of the air seal leg 210 of the vertical frame 211 is compressed to achieve a good air seal. Due to the air seal performance under the above loads, an advantage achieved by the present invention is that it provides approximately the same air leakage rate on the windward wall and the leeward wall.

[0030] Due to the air seal behavior under load, the factory installed stile screws 309 at mid-height of the panel can be designed for a loose easy connection with the threaded holes 307 .

[0031] Below are instructions for replacing an individual panel anywhere on a wall. (1) Using a hoisting device with multiple powered suction cups on the exterior facade of the panel above the panel being replaced. (2) Roll the panel upward to bottom out the upper horizontal interior panel joints 103 until the open gap above the panel to be removed is appropriate for panel removal. This step is not difficult because it only requires overcoming the point contact friction force at the top of the head of the head screw 209 due to the gap 122. A simple balancing placement with a suction cup from the inside of the panel may be necessary to prevent the screw 209 from coming off the head frame 105 when the screw head of the screw 209 reaches the area within the notch bottom circle 301. For example, if the joints 103 are "1 / 4" and the horizontal panel joint and joint depth are "1 / 2", rolling up and bottoming out three joints 203 will provide enough space (3 / 4) to remove the lower panel. (3) Maintain open space and install replacement panels. (4) The hoist is slowly lowered and all the above panels automatically return to their original positions due to the weight of the panels. (5) Once the hoisting equipment and replacement panel are prepared, the above procedure is estimated to take less than one hour.

[0032] In summary, the advantage achieved by the present invention is that it provides a rapid, on-site method for replacing individual panels anywhere in the wall, which can significantly reduce curtain wall maintenance costs in the event of partial wall damage from a hurricane or earthquake, as well as when replacing malfunctioning panels such as solar or dynamic glazing panels.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows a rear view of an assembled wall panel 400 with all four corners and a breakaway middle section of the four perimeter frame members (head 105 or 504, base 104 or 502, and jamb 211 or 600). For long horizontal wall panels 400, at least one optional middle head screw hole 401 joined with head screw 209 can be used to stiffen and strengthen the panel against negative wind loads. The screw hole 401 has the same profile as head screw hole 300. For long vertical panels, at least one optional middle jamb screw hole 307 on each jamb frame 211 or 600 joined with jamb screw 309 can be used to stiffen and strengthen the jamb frame 211 or 600 against negative wind loads. This stiffening effect of jamb screws 309 is the same as that of conventional stiffeners behind the spandrel panel facade 106. However, as will be explained below, the effectiveness of conventional reinforcements does not include the significant benefits of the longitudinal frame screws 309.

[0034] For panels without vertical frame screws 309, the vertical frame 211 or 600 is a simple support beam to resist outward bending and deflection due to negative wind loads in the span from the head frame 105 or 504 to the base frame 104 or 502. If one intermediate vertical frame screw 309 is used at the mid-height of the panel, the vertical frame 211 or 600 becomes a continuous double-span beam with a span equal to half the simple support span without the vertical frame screws 309. As a result of the following structural analysis, the structural benefits for negative wind loads include (1) a 75% reduction in bending stress, and (2) a 97% reduction in maximum outward deflection.

[0035] Structural analysis of vertical frame (1) Double span condition (one vertical frame screw at mid-height) M=WL 2 / 8=0.125WL 2 D=WL 4 / 185=0.005405WL 4 Where, M = maximum bending moment W = uniform negative wind load L = span of the structure D = maximum deflection (2) Simple span condition (no vertical frame screws) Span of structure = 2L M=W(2L) 2 / 8=0.5WL 2 D=5W(2L) 4 / 384=0.208333WL 4 (3) Ratio of moment coefficient and deflection coefficient a. Ratio of bending moment coefficients = 0.125 / 0.5 = 0.25 This means that a 75% (1-0.25=0.75) reduction in maximum bending moment and stress is achieved by the longitudinal screws at mid-height of the panel. b. Ratio of flexure coefficient = 0.005405 / 0.208333 = 0.03 This means that a 97% (1-0.03=0.97) reduction in maximum deflection is achieved by the jamb screws at mid-height of the panel.

[0036] Due to the above-mentioned effects, the use of vertical frame screws 309 has a significant structural benefit in addition to eliminating the need for cross panel reinforcement used on conventional spandrel panel facades with aluminum plate or ACM. Therefore, the advantage achieved by the present invention is that it provides a significant structural improvement against negative wind loads in addition to eliminating the need for facade reinforcement on long spandrel panels that use aluminum plate or ACM as the exterior facade. For screw-free factory assembly of the wall panel 400, the corner crimping method used in the air-actuated system with mitered top corner lines 306 and mitered bottom corner lines 405 is preferred.

[0037] Another special structural behavior of the first through fourth generation air-actuated systems is their ability to absorb inter-floor story drift through stress-free panel drift caused by the air-actuated space within the system. Inter-floor story drift can be caused by windstorms or earthquakes. Panel drift is caused by relative lateral sliding between male and female panel joints. However, small panel distortions occur due to lateral friction within the panel joints caused by the gasket. Lateral friction due to the gasket dissipates over time, as experienced in air-actuated operations after severe earthquakes, requiring manual adjustment from the inside by the owner. When vertical frame screws 309 are used in this invention, inter-floor story drift is absorbed through stress-free relative sliding of the screws 209 and 309 within their respective screw holes 300 and 307. Because both the head frame 105 and vertical frame 211 are fastened to the air-actuated mullion 201, the panels return to their original positions along with the mullion immediately after an inter-floor story drift event. Thus, an advantage achieved by the present invention is the elimination of the problem of late panel position recovery of air-actuated panels after inter-floor drift due to wind storms or earthquakes.

[0038] For a second embodiment of the present invention, see Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a bonded horizontal panel joint between two exterior wall panels 500 and 505 designed for a single performance function of exterior aesthetics. Because of the single aesthetic performance function, the panel frame design can be greatly simplified by eliminating features such as watertightness and thermal / acoustic insulation value. However, structural functionality against negative wind loads must be maintained. The most common application for this type of wall panel is to cover masonry walls. Comparing Figure 5 with Figure 1, the panel frame design of Figure 5 is more simplified. To maintain adequate panel bond and debond strength under negative wind loads, the panel interlocking design shown in Figure 5 is the same as that shown in Figure 1, with male legs 501 on the head frame 504 of the lower wall panel 500 and female pockets 503 on the base frame 502 of the upper wall panel 505.

[0039] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a vertical panel joint between two adjacent single-functional exterior wall panels 604. For the mitered frame corner design, the profile of the vertical frame 600 is the same as that of the base frame 502. For the longwall panel 604, the vertical frame 600 is fastened to a simplified vertical mullion 602 using optional vertical frame screws 309. The screws 209 or 309 are factory-installed at the design position with a gauge projection depth through sealing tape 208 and panel mounting flange 601 to enable on-site panel joining. The simplified mullion 602 is fastened to a backup structure (not shown), such as a masonry wall, using fasteners 603. Depending on the negative wind load strength, panel height, and the number of vertical frame screws 309 per vertical frame 600, the dimension "a" on all panel frames can be designed to meet the structural strength requirements for negative wind loads. Air sealing tape 208 is used to eliminate metal-to-metal contact noise caused by dynamic wind.

[0040] It is important to note that the items listed below are important to be able to assemble the present invention in the field. (1) Because the head screws 209 and the upright screws 309 are installed at the factory on the support mullions 201 or 602, the screw locations must match the locations of the screw holes 300 and 307 on the panel with very tight tolerances. Therefore, high-precision CNC machines must be used for factory manufacturing. (2) The left-right mullion positions must be installed with very tight tolerances because the two screw holes 300 and two screw holes 307 on each panel 202 or 203 or 604 must be locked in the field to the corresponding pre-installed screws 209 and 309 on the adjacent mullion 201 or 602. This requirement can be met by air-actuated mullion anchor designs in curtain wall applications, such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 10,370,843, or by using a gauge bar between two adjacent mullions 602 during anchoring of the mullions 602 in a single-function wall panel system. (3) In curtain wall design, horizontal panel joints must be designed to accommodate the effect of maximum interfloor deflection due to the design live load on the floor. Because a maximum interfloor deflection of 3 / 4 inch (19 mm) is commonly specified, to maintain structural integrity for horizontal male / female panel joint designs with small joints, the movement of the mullion splice joint must be isolated from the floor deflection, as described in U.S. Patent No. 6,598,361. (4) As a conclusion from the above items 2 and 3, the present invention in curtain wall applications can be recognized as a fifth generation air actuation system.

[0041] The above description is not meant to limit the invention to any particular material, geometric shape, or orientation of the elements. Various modifications to the shape of the panels and the configuration of the panel frames and / or supporting mullions can be made without departing from the scope of the invention and are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments described herein are presented by way of example only and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention.

[0042] The above-described embodiments are merely for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent modifications or variations in the shape, structure, features, or spirit disclosed by the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. a wall panel including an exterior facade attached to a panel perimeter frame, the panel perimeter frame including a head frame having interior male panel joint legs, a jamb frame, and a base frame having female panel joint pockets; a wall support member comprising an extruded structural member having a panel mounting flange and a factory-installed panel fastener on the panel mounting flange, the factory-installed panel fastener comprising a fastener stem having a stem diameter and a fastener head; The head frame has a factory-made head fastener hole for joining with the panel fastener on-site, the factory-made head fastener hole having a lower portion whose hole size is larger than the fastener head and an upper portion having an elongated hole whose width is slightly larger than the stem diameter.

2. 2. The exterior wall panel system of claim 1, wherein the factory-head fastener holes have a slope from the lower portion to the upper portion that forms a gap between a bottom end of the fastener head and the factory-head fastener holes.

3. a wall panel including an exterior facade attached to a panel perimeter frame, the panel perimeter frame including a head frame having interior male panel joint legs, a jamb frame, and a base frame having female panel joint pockets; a wall support member comprising an extruded structural member having a panel mounting flange and a factory-installed panel fastener on the panel mounting flange, the factory-installed panel fastener comprising a fastener stem having a stem diameter and a fastener head; the jamb frame includes factory-manufactured jamb fastener holes for mating with the factory-installed panel fasteners during panel assembly, the factory-manufactured jamb fastener holes having a lower portion with a hole size larger than the fastener head and an upper portion with an elongated hole whose width is slightly larger than the stem diameter.

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