Group 6.D - Curtain Wall Manual, Part 1: System Types and Design Considerations

Question 1

There are four primary types of glazed wall systems, what are they?

Answer 1

Storefronts
Stick Curtain Wall Systems
Unitized Curtain Walls
Window Wall Systems

Question 2

Stick curtain walls are furnished in what two forms?

Answer 2

stock lengths

knocked down

Question 3

_______ stick curtain walls frames are cut, machined, assembled, and sealed in the
field.

Answer 3

Stock length

Question 4

______ stick curtain walls are delivered pre-machined from the factory for field-assembly and field-sealing only.

Answer 4

Knock-down

Question 5

Stick curtain wall frames are assembled using either ___ or _____ _____ construction.

Answer 5

Shear block

Screw Spline

Question 6

In _____ curtain wall construction, assembly fasteners feed through holes in interlocking vertical stacking or
interlocking mullions into extruded races in horizontals.

Answer 6

Screw spline

Question 7

Stick curtain wall systems are always _____ glazed.

factory
reflective
laminated
field

Answer 7

Field

Frames are constructed on site and the glazing inserted.

Question 8

in _____ type stick curtain walls, exterior extruded aluminum plates are screw-applied to compress glass between interior and exterior bedding gaskets.

Answer 8

pressure wall

Question 9

A snap-on cover or ____ __ is used to conceal

pressure plate fasteners in pressure wall curtain wall assemblies.

Answer 9

beauty cap”

Question 10

__________curtain walls are factory-assembled and

glazed, then shipped to the job site in units

Answer 10

Unitized

Question 11

Unitized curtain wall units are typically

____lite wide by ____floor(s) tall.

Answer 11

one

one

Question 12

Interlocking unitized curtain wall frame members
are weatherstripped to seal to one another, both
horizontally and vertically. This accommodates
______expansion and contraction, inter-story
_________, concrete creep, column
____________, and/or __________movement.

Answer 12

thermal
differential movement (drift)
foreshortening
seismic

Question 13

Unitized curtain wall systems are installed in
a sequential manner around each floor level,
moving from the _____ to the ______ of the building

Answer 13

bottom to the top
left side to the right
top to the bottom
exterior to the interior

Question 14

“_______ ____” curtain wall systems span from the top of one floor slab to the underside of the slab above.

Answer 14

Window wall

Question 15

_____ ____ are non-load-bearing glazed systems
that occur on the ground floor, which typically
include aluminum entrances, and are installed
between floor slabs, or between a floor slab and
building structure above.

Answer 15

Storefronts.

Question 16

Unitized curtain wall systems require _____ unit-to-unit splice to be sealed in the field and ____ anchor(s) per jamb need(s) to be attached to the face of the floor slab.

one / one
one / two
two / one
two / two

Answer 16

one / one

Question 17

Window wall assemblies are large, _____-stacking
window units, contained in head and sill
receptors, known as ______.

Answer 17

side-stacking

“starters”

Question 18

In window wall assemblies starters serve to accommodate ____ and _____.

Answer 18

movement and drainage

Question 19

________systems can easily be installed in any sequence.

Unitized curtain walls
Stick-framed curtain walls
Window wall
Storefront

Answer 19

Window wall

Question 20

In window wall systems ____ can be used to clad the face of the slabs between floors.

Answer 20

slab covers

Question 21

______are used in window wall systems ad slab covers.

aluminum extrusions
metal sheets or panels
glass
any of the above

Answer 21

any of the above.

Question 22

There are two window-wall types: _____ and ______

walls.

Answer 22

custom and standard

Question 23

Among these natural effects impacting all walls, including metal curtain walls are are these 6:

(aging
cycling
penetrating and infiltrating
loading)

Answer 23

sunlight, 
Temp:  heat, cold
water
wind
seismic and gravity.

Question 24

In the design of metal curtain walls, there are generally four matters of chief concern:

SWEM
(out of original order)

Answer 24

• Structural integrity
• Weather-tightness
• Energy efficiency
• Provision for Movement

Question 25

As a life safety concern, the _____ _____ of the wall may be said to be the primary concern in its design.

Answer 25

structural integrity

Question 26

As compared with the overall design loads, those wind loads acting on the walls are _____ severe in intensity, have a ______rather than _____ effect.

more / specific rather than cumulative
less / specific rather than cumulative
more / cumulative rather than specific
less / cumulative rather than specific

Answer 26

more

specific rather than cumulative

Question 27

Wind loads acting on walls change ____ drastically and ____ rapidly than the overall design loads.

less / less
more / more
less / more
more / less

Answer 27

more / more

Question 28

Internal building pressures due to ______may augment negative, or suction, forces acting on walls.

occupants
floor loads
mechanical systems
stack effect

Answer 28

mechanical systems (air conditioning)
stack effect 

(Though the text only mentioned AC)

Question 29

On high-rise buildings _____pressures are usually maximum near the building corners, where they may be more than twice as great an any _______ load on the wall.

stack effect / negative
mechanical / positive
negative / positive
positive / stack effect

Answer 29

negative

positive

Question 30

When wind damage does occur in a glazed wall, it is more often in the form of a ______ than a _____.

crack / shatter
blow-in / blow-out
shatter / crack
blow-out / blow-in

Answer 30

blow-out than a blow-in.

Question 31

When designing metal curtain walls, provisions for
movement not only from ________changes, but also from _____, gravitational forces and by deformations or displacements in the building frame must be addressed.

Answer 31

temperature changes / wind action

Question 32

Weather-tightness means protection against both
______ and excessive _________.

air infiltration / heat gain
solar heat gain / water leakage
water leakage / air infiltration
water leakage / thermal bridging

Answer 32

water leakage and excessive air infiltration.

Question 33

Weather-tightness depends in large measure on adequate provision for ________and is closely related to proper joint design.

movement
leaks
wind
installation errors

Answer 33

movement

Question 34

Two methods have been developed for preventing
leakage through the wall, these are “ internal ____ “ and the other is “________ equalization”.

seals / pressure
glazing / water
installation / air
drainage / pressure

Answer 34

drainage / pressure

Question 35

The successful use of either leakage prevention method depends on a clear understanding of the action of wind driven rain, careful detailing, proper installation, and, in both cases, strategically located, ample _________and/or _________ play a critical role.

sealant / weather strip
sealant / weather seals
weep holes / drainage slots
pressure bars / gaskets

Answer 35

weep holes or drainage slots

Question 36

Good thermal performance is generally accomplished by:

a. minimizing the proportion of metal framing members exposed to the outdoors
b. eliminating thermal short circuits by using “thermal breaks”
c. using internal drainage and weep slots
d. using high-performance insulating glass
e. providing adequate insulation in spandrels
f. using tempered or laminated glazing

Answer 36

a, b, d, e

Question 37

Under normal conditions metal curtain walls ________with other wall construction having equivalent fenestration, as a barrier to airborne sound.

compare poorly
compare favorably
should not be compared

Answer 37

favorably

Question 38

Condensation control is a concern inn any
metal curtain wall design because the metal and glass:

are in contact with outside and indoor air
are highly conductive and exposed to precipitation
are permeable to moisture and have high heat retention
are impermeable to moisture and have low heat retention

Answer 38

are impermeable to moisture and have low heat retention

Question 39

The transmission of sound through any barrier is _______ to the mass of the barrier, and any lightweight construction, such as metal curtain wall ______ natural advantage as a sound barrier.

proportional to / has a
inversely proportional to / has no
unrelated / has no
dependent on / has no

Answer 39

inversely proportional to / has no

Question 40

Metal curtain walls _______ provide adequately quiet enclosures near airports and metro areas.

can be designed to
should not be expected to
can not
inherently

Answer 40

can be designed to

Question 41

Q1:
Which of these is not a function of an exterior wall:

Control the inward and outward flow of heat
Control the inward and outward flow of light
Control the inward and outward flow of data
Control the inward and outward flow of people

Answer 41

Control the inward and outward flow of data

While the options sounds silly, they do actually control the flow of people

Question 42

Q2
Which is true of unitized curtain walls

they are field glazed
they are installed sequentially around floors
they should never be used in seismic areas
they are sealed with preformed gaskets

Answer 42

they are installed sequentially around floors

Question 43

Q3:
On high rise buildings, negative rpessures are usually greatest

near the building corners.
two stories below the roof line.
at the center of the building.
near the hvac venting.

Answer 43

near the building corners.

Question 44

Q4: Head and sill receptors in window wall systems accommodate:

movement and sealant beads
drainage and flashing materials
irregularly shaped units
movement and drainage

Answer 44

movement and drainage

Question 45

Q5:
The four natural forces of chief concern for curtain wall designers are:

structural integrity, weather -tightness, provision for movement and wind speed
wind speed, energy efficiency, bird impacts and water transmission
structural integrity, provision for movement, weather-tightness and energy efficiency
structural integrity, sound control, energy efficiency and ease of assembly.

Answer 45

structural integrity, provision for movement, weather-tightness and energy efficiency