Durability and Integrity of Marble Cladding for High-Rise Structures

大理石是一种非传统的高层建筑覆层材料，建筑师们主要将其视为设计问题。近年来，切割工艺的改进使覆层板的厚度显著降低。这导致了这种形式的包层的使用急剧增加。这也导致了最近全国范围内不超过20年的建筑物的大理石包层问题。观察到的大理石包层的问题包括在建筑物完工后不久就开始出现严重和永久性的材料弯曲，以及建筑物包层的一些锚固最终失效。除了给建筑业主和大理石幕墙行业带来灾难性的经济后果外，高层建筑还存在潜在的生命风险，这种风险在未来可能会危险地增加。专家们对永久性弯曲的原因和锚固所提供的约束的影响存在争议。这项研究将调查所谓的永久变形的原因，贯穿厚度的温差和水分。研究结果将包括为大理石覆层可靠性问题的工程解决方案提供建筑规范规范建议，以及为建筑外墙系统性能分委员会制定ASTM标准E6.55。

Marble, a nontraditional cladding material for high-rise structures, has been treated primarily as a design issue by architects. During recent years, improvements in the cutting process have allowed the thickness of the cladding panels to decrease markedly. This has led to a dramatic increase in the use of this form of cladding. It has also led to recent nation- wide problems with marble cladding on buildings that are no more than twenty years old. The observed problems of the marble cladding include severe and permanent bowing of the material that starts soon after the buildings are completed, and the eventual failure of some of all anchorages of the cladding to the building. In addition to disastrous economic consequences for the building owners and the marble and curtain wall industries, there are potential risks to life associated with high-rise construction that may be dangerously increased in the future. There is a controversy among experts about the cause of the permanent bowing and the effect of the restraints provided by the anchorages. This research will investigate the alleged causes of permanent deformation, thru-thickness temperature differentials and moisture. The results of the research will include recommendations for building code specifications for an engineered solution to the marble cladding reliability problem, as well as the development of an ASTM Standard for Subcommittee E6.55 on the Performance of Exterior Building Wall Systems.