Assessing the wind resistance of sectional door systems for facilities in hurricane-prone areas through full- and component-scale experimental methods and finite element analysis

Wind-induced failure of garage doors can create a large breach in the building envelope, which can lead to an adverse internal pressurization and cause cascading failures in the building envelop. This study addresses the performance of these systems to fill a critical knowledge gap. Sectional garage doors were subjected to wind pressure using a new large-scale dynamic wind pressure simulator that was developed to conduct full-scale experimental testing. The Simulator was specifically designed to compensate for high airflow leakage (. 50,000 CFM) during testing. Five commercial doors were tested under quasi-static pressure loading until failure. Additionally, finite element analysis (FEA) was used to model two of the five sectional doors for more thorough analysis. Results from FEA and experimental testing matched well. Assessment results suggest two main failure mechanisms of current sectional doors under wind pressure, namely, local buckling of U-bars and disengagement from door tracks. Excessive deflection is the main reason for their failure.;To improve the wind resistance of sectional doors, this research investigated the applicability of a new sandwich panel comprised of fiber reinforced plastic face sheets and a polyol-isocyanate foam core. Mechanical properties of the sandwich panel were obtained through direct uniaxial compressive, direct uniaxial tensile and four-point bending tests. Foam density and thickness were varied to determine the effect on the sandwich panel behavior. A full-size panel was subjected to uniform out-of-plane loading in a pressure loading actuator to simulate service conditions. Measured strains and displacements closely match results from finite element modeling using the constitutive properties of the foam obtained from the uniaxial compression and tension tests as inputs. The findings indicate that the sandwich panel is suitable for lightweight building cladding systems used in high wind areas. Deflection is the controlling factor for out-of-plane loading.