Live Zoom Webinar.
All buildings use glass in the building envelope, and all will have some breakage during their service life. But sudden, unexplained breakage is not normal, expected, or acceptable. Spontaneous breakage is most likely caused by a defect in manufacturing, fabrication, or installation, including surface scratches, edge defects, thermal shock, edge contact, and inclusions. This presentation will synthesize a practical understanding of the causes of spontaneous glass breakage based on theoretical behavior and failure case studies, and will include diagnostic methods, prevention, and mitigation strategies.
David H. Nicastro, P.E., F.ASTM, is a licensed professional engineer specializing in durability and failure causation theory. He analyzes existing buildings and designs remedies. He is the founder of Building Diagnostics and Engineering Diagnostics, which grew to be an Inc. 500 firm by 2000. He also founded The Durability Lab, a testing center housed at The University of Texas at Austin to study the durability of building components, identifying factors causing premature failure. Mr. Nicastro is the past chairman of ASTM Committee C24 on Building Seals and Sealants, and has published over 50 articles and books on durability and failure of building materials.
1 AIA LU/HSW
This course was not recorded at the request of the speaker.