When designing support frames for external applications, two of the most important factors to consider are the environment and the location of the services on the building.

 

For the design team, designing 16No. main supply fan frames, an 8-metre-wide duct frame and 23No. louvre fan frames on and around a new Energy Recovery Facility came with a few obstacles.

 

One of our senior CAD designers went on to explain the challenges:

 

“It was crucial we got involved early in the project, as one of the first tasks was to find out if the standard hot dip galvanised finish was acceptable in this coastal environment, or whether we would need to move to a duplex (galvanised and powder coated) finish.

 

We also needed to ensure the designs considered wind loadings, especially the 8m x 6m duct frame, as this effectively acted as a giant sail! We could fix down to the concrete, but due to the position of the connected units, could not brace back down to the floor as preferred, so we worked with the customer to agree on a tie bar solution to fix through the cladding and onto the building steelwork.

 

Fixing selection was also an important consideration; we had to specify the steelwork clamps for the supply fan frames, and suitable concrete anchors for the ducting frame that would resist the high tension placed on them from wind load. Also, as the louvre fan frames could only be clamped to the C section on one side, suitable stainless steel self-drilling screws had to be selected to maintain frame strength.”

 

Thank you Air Technology Systems system for sharing the picture.