Steel Curtain Wall

Today, due to developments in manufacturing processes, steel framing is reemerging as a high-performance material in glazed curtain walls. It surpasses traditional aluminum curtain wall systems in terms of free span size, narrow sightlines and design flexibility. Especially modern curtain wall systems incorporating long, continuous steel back members can handle up to 40-foot free spans in a single member without splicing.

Steel Curtain Walls Applications
Approximately three times stiffer than aluminum, steel provides the necessary support for heavy double- or triple-glazed units. It has a Young’s modulus (E) of about 29 million pounds per square inch (psi), compared to 10 million psi for aluminum. As a result, steel frames deflect less and provide a substantially greater load capacity. This allows glass sizes to be significantly larger in steel frames versus aluminum frames of the same shape. Meanwhile, some steel curtain wall systems can support glazing infills up to 3 inches thick. As a result, steel framing can support high-performance glazing to help offset solar heat gain in large glazed assemblies with marginal effects on the design intent.

Steel Curtain Wall Benefits
Newer steel frames provide many aesthetic advantages compared to traditional steel and aluminum assemblies in applications. They can be much narrower, have well-defined edges (rather than rounded profiles) and have corner joints with no visible weld beads or fasteners. In addition, because steel is stronger than aluminum, it can support the necessary load and deflection requirements of glazing with less material. For example, in a typical two-story curtain wall, unreinforced steel frames can be 1.75 inches wide and 5.75 inches deep, versus 2.5 inches wide and 8 inches deep for aluminum. This reduces frame dimension size by approximately 25 percent to take the focus off the frames and onto the intended views.

Steel Curtain Wall Systems Protect Against Moisture Intrusion
To help prevent moisture intrusion, some curtain wall manufacturers are trying to develop advanced steel curtain wall systems with a continuous gasket across the full width of the frames. This prevents water in the glazing cavity from coming into direct contact with the steel back members. The installer assists in eliminating any water intrusion by sealing the lapped gasket joints at the horizontal-to-vertical connections during the normal installation process.

Dong Peng Bo Da Steel Pipe Group is a famous steel pipe manufacturer in China. We are committed to producing various types of steel products for your choice in your building project in future. Our products are all designed for the fast and easy installation of curtain walls. Contact us if you have any need in your project.