Smart glazed cable facade subjected to a blast loading

Abstract

This paper investigates the dynamic behaviour of cable-supported glazing facades subjected to medium-level air blast loads. Preliminary numerical studies are carried-out in SAP2000 by means of a geometrically refined and simplified lumped-mass finite-element numerical model, in order to assess the major effects of the design blast load in the main facade components. As shown, both the glass panels and the cable system are able to properly accommodate the incoming impulsive loads, typically involving extreme deflections and high tensile stresses. In order to mitigate the effects of blast pressures on the glazing system, an innovative and particularly efficient active control system is proposed. The control system implemented in the glazed cable facade is based on a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm, in which the control variable is the tension in the cables.