Structural Testing

The building construction industry has undergone major changes in the last 20 years with more emphasis than ever being placed on the structural integrity of the buildings when they are completed. Each component of a new building must now undergo some form of structural testing to determine how it will perform in a variety of conditions. These conditions may occur as part of a natural event such as earthquakes, hurricanes or even simple heavy wind driven rains or as a part of a man made event such as fire or explosion. Structural testing may also be done to see how well a building component holds up under the load it will be subject to during the material's lifespan in the structure it is going to be a part of. This testing is important as the safety of the people who are going to occupy the building. It also goes beyond the people who are in the building, with today's multi-floor buildings that seem to be made out of a wall of glass to the people walking by outside.

The glass walls must be manufactured in such a way that the glass remains intact at all times. Tall buildings are subjected to a number of forces that the average house may never see. On a windy day the average tall building will sway, this sway increases as the speed of the wind gets higher. This sway puts stresses on the glass and the frame work that supports the glass, structural testing is very important in these buildings. Structural testing must be performed on both the glass and the supporting framework to ensure that it will not allow the glass to break or fall out of the frame work. Testing must also show that while the building is in motion and while it is stopped there are no air or water leaks. Any of these problems can result in either physical harm or environmental damage, neither of which is acceptable. When designing a new building every aspect of the structure must be tested before it can be used. Structural testing is done in accordance with federal government and industry standards on all materials and the results are recorded such that anyone who is planning to use the materials in their construction project can have access to the results. In most cases the manufacturer will have records indicating when the testing was done and which testing facility performed the tests. There are industry standards proscribing how the tests must be performed for each component.

While each individual piece of a construction project such as the windows or doors do not have to be tested a relative sample must be tested. Thus if you are installing 100 of a certain type of window in your new building you will only need to test a representative sample to show that the window meets the standards required. However if the same window has been subjected to structural testing within the last two years testing may not be required. For those who are considering construction of a new building in the Pacific Northwest and are in need of structural testing on your glass and vinyl fenestration products then turn to QEDLAB. One of only 30 testing facilities in the United States who are accredited by the AAMA and one of a handful that certified to perform AAMA and ASTM field tests. Not only are QEDLABs capable of performing field tests in the most diverse situations but their research and development laboratories can help with the development of new fenestration products before they are ready to be used.