Samenvatting

Many modern unitised façades rely on structural sealant glazing (SSG) to accommodate building drift and slab deflection. However, when hung-and-sworded panels undergo racking, the resulting shear strains expose limitations in current design workflows. While it is common practice to use simplified linear methods to size joints efficiently, non-linear finite-element analysis (FEA) reveals that these practical dimensions often fail strict ETAG 002 combined-stress checks. This creates a critical gap between everyday engineering simplifications and regulatory compliance.

This thesis addresses this discrepancy by replacing static stress penalties with a strain-informed capacity reduction model. A non-linear 1D kinematic parametric sweep evaluated panel widths ( to 1. 5 3.0 m) and joint aspect ratios (1 to 3), complemented by high-fidelity hyperelastic 3D volumetric analyses to1 3investigate local boundary interactions. The extracted data was then coupled with empirical proxy data from pre-sheared, environmentally aged silicone to quantify material degradation under fatigue.

The results show that movement-induced racking governs overall joint utilisation. The analysis also highlights a key mechanical trade-off: although higher aspect ratios minimize sealant volume, the resulting cross-sectional stiffness significantly amplifies localised peak shear stresses at panel corners. Furthermore, for the façade configuration investigated, a transition in behaviour was observed at a panel width of approximately 1.5 m. Below this width, standard linear tributary scaling may underestimate the required bite dimensions and should therefore not be used without additional verification.

To translate these findings into practice, an automated calculation tool was developed using this conservative framework. By converting racking-induced slip into a material degradation penalty applied to the shear and tensile capacities, the tool accounts for the long-term effects of structural fatigue without directly superimposing racking and wind-induced stresses during design checks. This framework provides a practical method for assessing whether currently used joint dimensions can be justified.