What is pressure plate in curtain wall?

Some curtain wall systems utilize “pressure bars” (also referred to as “pressure plates”) that are fastened to the outside of the mullions to retain the glass. These systems frequently include gaskets that are placed between the pressure bar and mullions and function as thermal breaks and help with acoustic isolation.

What is a pressure-equalized system?

A pressure-equalized rainscreen system prevents pressure-driven moisture infiltration by naturally regulating the pressure within the wall cavity. This ensures the pressure inside the wall cavity and outside of the wall cavity is equal.

What is a pressure-equalized wall?

A pressure-equalized rainscreen (PER) wall is a multiple-line-of-defence approach to rain penetration control. This Update defines pressure equalization and discusses the various elements that must be incorporated in a PER wall to minimize rain penetration due to air pressure differentials.

What is the rainscreen principle?

So, the ‘Rainscreen Principle’ on a façade or cladding system, means that whilst the majority of rain is drained off the surface of the façade, it is designed to permit a small amount of rain or moisture intrusion between the unsealed façade panel joints.

What is a rainscreen wall?

A rainscreen is the weather-facing surface of an exterior wall detail that stands off at least 1/8” from the moisture-resistant surface of the structural back up wall. In many cases this would be a brick veneer, stone veneer or other types of masonry veneers.

What are advantages of curtain wall?

Curtain walls have the primary purpose of keeping air and water out of the building, essentially acting as both a buffer and an insulator. Buildings that have curtain walls will be easier (and more affordable) to maintain, and will last longer in general, as they have this additional protective shield build in.

Can a curtain wall have windows?

Since curtain wall is attached to the exterior slab of a building, you can achieve a continuous “curtain” of glass on the exterior facade. Another reason unitized curtain wall is selected is that quality can be controlled at very high rate of success since the panels are built in a controlled shop environment.

Why is it called curtain wall?

A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, utilized only to keep the weather out and the occupants in. Since the curtain wall is non-structural, it can be made of lightweight materials, such as glass, thereby potentially reducing construction costs.

What is the difference between mullion and transom?

What’s the difference between a mullion and a transom? The key difference between a transom and a mullion is the direction of their alignment on a window, but both mullions and transoms provide additional aesthetics to divide a window’s pane of glass into smaller sections.