AS/NZS 4284:1995

Australian/New Zealand Standard

Testing of building facades

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 AS/NZS 4284:1995

This Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard was prepared by Joint Technical

Committee BD/80, Curtain Walls. It was approved on behalf of the Council of
Standards Australia on 7 February 1995 and on behalf of the Council of Standards
New Zealand on 21 February 1995. It was published on 5 April 1995.

The following interests are represented on Committee BD/80:

Adhesives and Sealants Manufacturers Association of Australia

Architectural Aluminium Association of New Zealand
Building Owners and Managers Association of Australia
Building Research Association of New Zealand
Cement and Concrete Association of New Zealand
CSIRO — Division of Building, Construction and Engineering
Flat Glass Council of Australia
National Precast Concrete Association Australia
Natspec
The Association of Consulting Engineers Australia
University of New South Wales

Review of Standards. To keep abreast of progress in industry, Joint Australian/

New Zealand Standards are subject to periodic review and are kept up to date by the
issue of amendments or new editions as necessary. It is important therefore that
Standards users ensure that they are in possession of the latest edition, and any
amendments thereto.
Full details of all Joint Standards and related publications will be found in the
Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand Catalogue of Publications; this
information is supplemented each month by the magazines ‘The Australian Standard’
and ‘Standards New Zealand’, which subscribing members receive, and which give
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details of new publications, new editions and amendments, and of withdrawn

Standards.
Suggestions for improvements to Joint Standards, addressed to the head office of either
Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand, are welcomed. Notification of any
inaccuracy or ambiguity found in a Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard should be
made without delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action
taken.

This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 93158.

 AS/NZS 4284:1995

Australian/New Zealand Standard

Testing of building facades

This is a free 6 page sample. Access the full version online.

PUBLISHED JOINTLY BY:

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA
1 The Crescent,
Homebush NSW 2140 Australia

STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

Level 10, Radio New Zealand House,
155 The Terrace,
Wellington 6001 New Zealand
ISBN 0 7262 9701 1
 AS / NZS 4284:1995 2

PREFACE

This Standard was prepared by the Joint Australia/ New Zealand Standards Committee BD/80
on Curtain Walls.
The Standard is based on ‘Specification for the performance testing of building facades by
the Sirowet method’ published by CSIRO, Division of Building, Construction and
Engineering.
Consideration has been given to maintaining compatibility with NZS 4211:1985, Specification
for performance of windows and with Amendment No. 3 which converts the earlier working
stress basis to limit state design requirements. In the past in New Zealand, NZS 4211 has
been used for the evaluation of curtain walls and facades, sometimes with the addition of the
Sirowet dynamic water leakage test procedure.
The objective of this Standard is to provide those persons or organizations involved with the
specification, design, purchasing and construction of building facades with a method for
determining the performance of a building facade under wind and other optional loadings.
This test method is applicable to complete facades and is intended to assess the overall
system performance and interaction of the various facade components.
The Committee has made a number of significant changes and additions to the original
Sirowet method and these include the following:
(a) Change to limit state principles from working stress.
(b) Addition of optional seal degradation, seismic and building maintenance unit (BMU)
restraint tests.
(c) Addition of several appendices, including a pro-forma for test loads and limits.
Test pressures nominated in the Standard represent minimum default values that should be
applied to the test sample; however, selection of pressure values should be based on the
proposed usage of the structure, its exposure conditions and of the expected performance of
the facade.
The term ‘informative’ has been used in this Standard to define the application of the
appendix to which it applies. An ‘informative’ appendix is only for information and guidance.
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 Copyright STANDARDS AUSTRALIA/ STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

Users of Standards are reminded that copyright subsists in all Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand publications and software.
Except where the Copyright Act allows and except where provided for below no publications or software produced by Standards Australia
or Standards New Zealand may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission
in writing from Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand. Permission may be conditional on an appropriate royalty payment. Australian
requests for permission and information on commercial software royalties should be directed to the head office of Standards Australia.
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Standard without payment of a royalty or advice to Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand.
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Care should be taken to ensure that material used is from the current edition of the Standard and that it is updated whenever the Standard
is amended or revised. The number and date of the Standard should therefore be clearly identified.
The use of material in print form or in computer software programs to be used commercially, with or without payment, or in commercial
contracts is subject to the payment of a royalty. This policy may be varied by Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand at any time.
 3 AS / NZS 4284:1995

CONTENTS

Page

1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ... .. .. .. .. ... .......... .. 4

2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . .. ... ..... ..... ..... ... .. .. .. 4
3 DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ...... ... .. .. .. .. ... ..... .. 4
4 PRINCIPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .... ... .. .. .. .. ... ....... .. 5
5 APPARATUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ..... ... .. .. .. .. ... ...... .. 5
6 SAMPLE PREPARATION . . . . . . . . . . . .. ..... ..... ..... ... .. .. .. . .. 5
7 PROCEDURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .... ... ... .. .. ... ... ..... .. 6
8 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS . . . .. .. .. .. ... ............. ... . . 11
9 TEST REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ... ..... .. .. .. .. ... .... .. . . 12

APPENDICES
A SAMPLE PREPARATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . .. .. . 13
B STRUCTURAL AND PROOF LOADING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. ..... . 16
C AIR INFILTRATION TESTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . .. ... . 21
D WATER PENETRATION TESTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. . ... . . 23
E SEISMIC TESTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. ... . 25
F INFORMATION TO BE SUPPLIED BY PURCHASER . . . . . .. .. .. ... .. . 26
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First publi shed as Joint Standard AS/NZS 4284:1995.

 AS/NZS 4284:1995 4

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA/STANDARDS NEW ZEALAND

Australian/New Zealand Standard

Testing of building facades

1 SCOPE This Standard sets out a method for determining the performance of a
representative building facade under loading. Tests include displacement of the facade or
prototype, water penetration and ultimate load capacity as well as optional tests, including
BMU restraint, seismic loading and seal degradation. This test method is applicable to
prototype testing in a laboratory as well as on-site testing.

2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS The following documents are referred to in this

Standard:
AS
1170 Minimum design loads on structures (known as the SAA Loading Code)
1170.2 Part 2: Wind loads
1170.4 Part 4: Earthquake loads
NZS
4203 General structural design and design loadings for buildings
4211 Specification for performance of windows
AAMA
501 Methods of test for metal curtain walls
ASTM
E283 Test method for rate of air leakage through exterior windows, curtain walls, and
doors
E331 Test method for water penetration of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by
uniform static air pressure difference
E547 Test method for water penetration of exterior windows, curtain walls, and doors by
cyclic static air pressure differential
BS
1042 Measurement of fluid flow in closed conduits
Part 1: Pressure differential devices
Section 1.1: Specification for square-edged orifice plates, nozzles, and venturi tubes
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inserted in circular cross-section conduits running full

3 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of this Standard, the definitions below apply.
3.1 BMU —building maintenance unit.
3.2 Facade panel — external skin that transfers wind loads to the framing members or
supporting structure.
3.3 Framing members — the elements, such as mullions and transoms, that support facade
panels.
3.4 Purchaser—the person or party requiring the test and specifying the test sample,
sequence, pressures and performance criteria.
3.5 Uncontrolled water—any leakage that is not contained and drained away during the
water spray operation and for 5 min after the water spray has stopped during which time there
is zero air pressure differential on the facade.

COPYRIGHT
 AS/NZS 4284:1995 Testing of building facades
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