Unified Facade Anchor Assembly for Firestopping Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional building facade systems face challenges in providing effective firestopping and smoke sealing without excessive installation time and expense, and are prone to vertical fire spread and noise transmission due to notched vertical designs that obscure fire stop material application and require multiple labor crews for assembly.
Innovation Solution
A unified anchor system that allows for either notched or unnotched vertical designs, enabling field application of fire safing and smoke seals, reducing the need for multiple labor crews and allowing for visual verification of proper installation, while eliminating the need for continuous shelf supports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a notched vertical framework is used in conventional curtainwall systems, then the facade structure can be assembled, but fire stop material application is obscured and installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the facade into modular panel assemblies, each with integrated fire stopping capabilities. The notched vertical framework is segmented into manageable sections that can be independently assembled and fire-stopped, reducing overall installation complexity while maintaining fire safety.
Solution Approach 2:
Fire stop materials are pre-applied to the notched vertical framework before panel assembly. This preliminary action ensures fire stopping is completed during manufacturing rather than during field installation, eliminating the obscuration problem and reducing on-site installation complexity.
2Productivity
If multiple labor crews are used for assembling conventional curtainwall systems, then complete assembly can be achieved, but installation time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple assembly operations are merged into a single panel assembly unit. The vertical framework, horizontal connectors, and fire stopping are combined into one integrated component that can be installed by a single crew, eliminating the need for multiple specialized crews and reducing installation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel assembly is designed as a universal component that performs multiple functions: structural support, fire stopping, and weather sealing. This multi-functionality allows a single crew to complete all installation tasks without requiring specialized teams for each function, improving productivity and reducing time loss.
3Strength
If continuous shelf supports are used in notched vertical designs, then structural support is provided, but access to gaps for fire stop installation is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous shelf support is extracted and replaced with discrete fire stop access points within the notched vertical framework. This allows fire stop materials to be applied at specific locations without requiring a continuous shelf that would block access, maintaining structural support while enabling fire stopping operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The notched vertical framework acts as an intermediary between the structural support requirement and the fire stop installation need. The framework provides structural support through its notched design while simultaneously creating accessible gaps for fire stop material application, mediating between these two conflicting requirements.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional curtainwall systems are installed with gaps from floor slabs, then installation is simplified, but fire spread and noise transmission increase
Solution Approach 1:
Fire stopping and noise sealing are applied locally at the gap interfaces between panels and floor slabs, rather than requiring continuous sealing throughout the entire facade. This localized approach maintains installation simplicity while effectively blocking fire spread and noise transmission at critical points.
Solution Approach 2:
Composite fire stop and noise seal materials are used at the gap interfaces. These composite materials combine fire resistance and acoustic sealing properties in a single application, maintaining installation simplicity while addressing both fire spread and noise transmission concerns simultaneously.
Data Source
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AI summary
A building facade system is provided with a unified anchor assembly having an anchor member. The anchor member has a blade portion, an anchor fist and an anchor fork. The blade portion has a head at the proximal end, a lateral surface having serrations and a slotted opening. The anchor fist has a channel and a flange, the channel receives the head of the blade portion to slide within the channel. The anchor fork has tines defining a slot with an opening therebetween and a serrated surface to engage the serrations of the blade portion. Upon installation onto a building, the anchor fork is seated on an upwardly extending flange of a structural member affixed to a building floor slab. The anchor fist is secured to a vertical mullion by shear connection made by fasteners coupling the flange of the anchor fist to a lateral surface of the mullion.