YKK AP Begins Operation of "N-CueB," a Large-scale Curtain Wall Testing Building at the Namerikawa Plant

Standing approximately 27m high with a test area of approximately 1,200m2, "N-CueB" is a facility for testing the airtightness, watertightness, wind pressure resistance, seismic resistance, and other performance characteristics of CWs for high-rise buildings and skyscrapers. As such, it enables performance testing, which simulates extreme　environmental events such as wind storms and major earthquakes, to be conducted under stable conditions indoors. Wind pressure resistance can be tested at static pressure (*2) of up to 12,000 pascals (equivalent to wind speed of approximately 140m per second), and watertightness can be tested at pulsation pressure (*3) of 7,000±750 pascals (wind speed of approximately 101 to 112m per second). To test inter-story displacement (*4), which is used to evaluate seismic performance, the girders are shaken along the width and depth axes to check for frame and member breakage, pane dropout, or other damage under severe conditions that simulate the shaking experienced by the upper floors of a high-rise building.
The testing floor has ample space, providing a one-stop shop for the quality inspections performed at each stage, including product inspections, installation verification, and dismantling inspections conducted before and after testing. It also allows checking at each step of the installation process, such as unpacking products, attaching installation jigs, and lifting, to be performed seamlessly at the construction site. Since the building is a "column-free space," it is possible for even heavyweight units, such as precast concrete CWs (*5), to be tested indoors using a mobile crane. Lighting with high color rendering is used to perform visual inspections under conditions closely resembling natural light, and floor heating and spot air conditioning are installed to ensure that employees and business partners can conduct testing in a comfortable environment throughout the year.

With "N-CueB" now in operation, YKK AP will be able to guarantee CW quality to higher standards, thereby contributing to the proliferation of safe and secure buildings and the development of new urban landscapes.

[Overview of the Namerikawa Plant "N-CueB" Facility]

*1: Vertical distance from the floor surface of one floor of a building to that of the floor above it.
*2: Constant pressure that does not fluctuate (static force)
*3: Pressure that fluctuates periodically with time
*4: The horizontal displacement that occurs between the floors of a building. The value obtained by dividing the displacement by the floor height is the inter-story displacement angle, and the higher this value is, the greater the deformation of the building.
The specified value for a general building under the Building Standards Act is 1/200 or less. This testing facility can handle up to 1/50 (in-plane static test).
*5: An installation method that shortens installation time and stabilizes the quality of the finished product by manufacturing exterior components, including concrete, at a factory in advance.