Waltham, MA
Sleeve Block Testing
Scope/Solutions
The unitized curtain wall units for a new high-rise building are fabricated with first anchors and sleeve blocks that attach the curtain wall to anchorage plates cast into the building structure. During construction, nail gun fasteners penetrated the sleeve blocks. The curtain wall fabricator required the contractor to test their capacity with the penetrations. SGH performed the testing to help the contractor determine whether or not the punctured sleeve blocks were structurally adequate.
SGH performed physical testing on samples of the aluminum sleeve blocks and fist anchors. We tested samples with and without penetrations so the project team could compare their capacity. Highlights of our work include:
- Reviewing the testing procedures required by the curtain wall fabricator
- Developing a test plan that met the requirements and was compatible with our laboratory, equipment, and instrumentation
- Designing and machining a testing apparatus to hold the anchor and sleeve blocks in place at a specified angle to mimic the resultant force between the vertical design load and horizontal wind load
- Performing tensile load testing with our universal test machine
- Providing the project team with force and deflection measurements to compare the performance of samples with and without penetrations
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Project Summary
2023
Completion Date
Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Building Enclosures | Applied Science & Research
Markets
Commercial
Specialized Capabilities
Facades & Glazing | Physical Testing
Key team members
Additional Projects
Northeast
238 Main Street
SGH provided building enclosure commissioning services for the building at 238 Main Street, featuring high-performance unitized curtain wall systems and existing mass masonry walls.
Northeast
Four Seasons
Designed by I.M. Pei & Partners and Frank Williams & Associates, the Four Seasons has 368 guestrooms on 52 floors. SGH has worked on several building enclosure assessment and repair projects at the hotel.