Measured field performance of aluminium windows in Kuwait

✍ Scribed by Osama Daoud; Gopal Maheshwari; Hakem Al-Shami

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 924 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0378-7788
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-7788(91)90073-c

✦ Synopsis

The air infiltration rate is determined for 154 aluminium windows installed in 25 buildings in Kuwait. The influence of window characteristics such as type, dimensions, source of profile, source of workmanship, building function, cost and age has been studied. Air-tightness is determined using portable equipment to pressurize a chamber created on each window and to measure the air flow and pressure increase. The results show that aluminium windows in Kuwait have a mean infiltration rate of 13.48 m3/h/m at 75 Pa, about 3.4 times higher than the ANSI/ AAMA maximum limit. The type of window is the main factor influencing performance, with horizontally hinged windows leaking the most, and tilt-and-turn and fixed windows the least. Newly installed windows and those installed in low-cost projects show marginally greater mean air-infiltration values than those in old or prestigious projects; however, the standard deviation is noticeably greater, indicating lower quality control. Windows installed in residential buildings produce lower leakage rates than ~hose in office or public buildings. The volume of air leakage remains the same for sliding windows with different areas, indicating that leakage occurs mostly at the corners; however, leakage increases with area for vertically hinged windows, showing that leakage occurs at the sash/window joint.