Window test stand

Windows, doors and glazing elements are essential building components and must meet both aesthetic and practical requirements. Particularly with regard to optimising the energy efficiency of buildings, innovative façade elements are thermally insulating, airtight, watertight, functional and, last but not least, should be cost-effective.

The large-area window elements or glass façades used in modern architecture have the smallest possible frame proportion in order to maximise the incidence of light and should have turning or tilting properties. In order to minimise production costs and environmental impact, the aim is to use as little material as possible in production and planning.

In order to meet the ever-increasing demands on the energy efficiency of buildings, glazing elements and doors should have a comparably high thermal insulation resistance as the usually well-insulated external wall surfaces. This also includes that the elements are designed to be as airtight as possible, thus minimising convective heat loss.

As part of the exterior façade of a building, façade elements are particularly exposed to weather conditions. This requires intensive testing with regard to serviceability already in the development phase, but also the simulation of specific applications. The stress on such elements results mainly from wind and rain. Standardised test procedures ensure that they are damage-free and sustainable.

For the normative test of air permeability according to DIN EN 1026, the air pressure in the test chamber is measured at different pressure levels. The test of driving rain resistance according to DIN EN 1027 is carried out by continuously spraying the outside of the test specimen with a certain amount of water and simultaneously applying successive air pressure levels inside the test chamber. Resistance to wind load is tested according to DIN EN 12211. A fixed sequence of test pressures in the test chamber enables the evaluation of the relative frontal deflection and the resistance to damage by wind loads.

In 2017, the Department of Building Physics / Low-Energy Buildings adapted its window test stand to the current test procedures. The entire measurement and control technology were renewed and a modern control system was installe. Since then, measurements can be carried out in accordance with standards.