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SECTION 133133 - TENSIONED FABRIC STRUCTURES

PART 1 - GENERAL

1.1SECTION INCLUDES

  1. Delegated design of tensioned fabric structures.
  2. Structure supporting tensioned fabric.
  3. Cables and fittings.
  4. Tensioned fabric.

1.2RELATED REQUIREMENTS

  1. 033000 - Cast in Place Concrete; for tensioned fabric foundation materials.
  2. 051200 - Structural Steel Framing; for structural steel of structure support tensioned fabric.

1.3SUBMITTALS

Submittal showing documentation of project team members listed

  1. Qualification Data: For Installer, fabricator and design engineer.

Language requires the bidding contractor to take responsiblity for both the engineering and construction of the tensioned fabric structure.

  1. Delegated-Design Submittal: For assemblies indicated to comply with performance requirements and design criteria, including analysis data and drawings signed and sealed by the qualified professional engineer responsible for their preparation including:
  2. Plans, elevations, sections, mounting heights, and frame assembly details
  3. Frame member sizes and required wall thicknesses.
  4. Welding requirements.
  5. Details of bolted and pin connections for frame assembly.
  6. Required sizes of bolts, pins, plates and tubing.
  7. Verify the fabric meets minimum engineering requirements.
  8. Details fabric attachment methods and identify thickness of all membrane plates, clamps and other attachment components.
  9. Cable sizes and pretension requirements.
  10. Anchor-bolt plans before foundation work begins. Include location, diameter, and projection of anchor bolts required to attach the tensioned fabric structures to foundation. Indicate column reactions at each location.

Provides data from manufacturer to confirm products proposed for use meet performance and design criteria on which the overall design is based.

  1. Product Data: Provide product criteria, characteristics, accessories, jointing and seaming methods, and termination conditions.

Provides project specific layout of materials to confirm engineering, layout and detailing is compatable with overall design.

  1. Shop Drawings:
  2. Include plans, elevations, sections, mounting heights, and frame assemblydetails.
  3. Preliminary member sizes with wall thickness.
  4. Preliminary footing layout and foundation design.
  5. Show intended fabric attachment hardware and details.
  6. Identify direction, details and locations of fabric seams.
  7. Show details of fabric dimensions including length of spans, sag curvature and actual shaded area.

Provides samples of final finish of structure supporting tensioned fabric, tensioned fabrics, and hardware.

  1. Samples:
  2. Tensioned Fabric: 8.5 inch x 11 inch samples of tensioned fabric for appearance, texture, finish and light transmittance.
  3. Structure Finish: Manufacturer's standard sample size on metal for color, texture and gloss.
  4. Accessories: One of each exposed accessory in selected color and finish.

Provides instruction for installation on which the manufactuer's warranties are based.

  1. Manufacturer's Installation Instructions: Indicate special preparation of substrate, attachment methods, and perimeter conditions requiring special attention.

Provides warranty for close-out documentation and maintenance requirements to maintain the manufactuer's warranty.

  1. Warranty: Submit manufacturer warranty and ensure forms have been completed in Owner's name and registered with manufacturer.

Provides maintenance requirements or Owner to maintain tensioned fabric structure and manufactuer's warranty of materials.

  1. Maintenance Data: For tensioned fabric structures including:
  2. Methods for maintaining tensioned fabric structure fabrics and finishes.
  3. Precautions about cleaning materials and methods that could be detrimental to fabrics, finishes, and performance.

1.4QUALITY ASSURANCE

Requires fabric manufacture to have been producing fabric for at least 5 years as an indication of positive performance and long life of products.

  1. Fabric Manufacturer's Qualifications: Company specializing in manufacturing the products specified in this section with minimum 5 years of documented experience in tensioned fabric manufacture.

Requires contractor's Design Engineer to have at least 5 years of experience designing projects of similar size and complexity with same materials as an indication of positive performance of designs and positive customer experience.

  1. Designer Qualifications: Professional Structural Engineer with 5 years of documented experience in design of this work and licensed in the location of the project.

Requires Fabricator/Installer to have at least 5 years of experience designing projects of similar size and complexity with same materials as an indication of positive performance of designs and positive customer experience.

  1. Fabricator/Installer Qualifications: Company specializing in performing the work of this section with minimum 5 years experience on projects of similar size, complexity and fabric.

1.5DELIVERY, STORAGE, AND HANDLING

Requires material to be handled as required by the manufacture to maintain its performance and design features.

  1. As required by the manufacturer for a warrantable installation of the installed products to meet the Performance and Design Criteria.

1.6WARRANTY

  1. Fabric Manufacturer Warranty: Provide manufacturer's standard 15 year material replacement warranty for water resistance and tearing of fabric.

PART 2 - PRODUCTS

2.1FABRICATORS/INSTALLERS

Fabricator/Installers with known experience on large projects with Tenara Fabric and can manage installations across North America and in Central and South America

  1. Design is based on tensioned fabric structures being designed, engineered, fabricated and installed by one of the following qualified fabricator/installers.
  2. Eide Industries Inc, Cerritos, CA.
  3. Structurflex, Kansas City, MO.
  4. Fabritec, Dallas, TX.
  5. Birdair, Amherst, NY.

Substitued fabricators are required to show comparable experience as an indication of comparable quality of project.

  1. Substitutions for fabricators/installers other than those listed above: See Section 016000 - Product Requirements.
  2. Include qualification data indicating 10 projects of similar scope and complexity with same type of structure supporting tension fabric and tensioned fabric as specified.

2.2FABRIC MANUFACTURERS

Fabric has been selected for its performance, design, asthetic, and inservice history. Substituted fabrics are required to show parallel criteria to ensure project intent is maintained.

  1. Specification is based on Tenara Fabric by SEFAR.
  2. Substitutions for products by manufacturers other than those listed above: See Section 016000 - Product Requirements.
  3. Include side by side comparison of performance, design criteria and features listed for both specified product and proposed substitution.
  4. Include full set of product data and samples for both specified product and proposed substitution.

2.3DESCRIPTION

Explains what is being installed on this project.

  1. Engineering, fabrication and installation of tensioned fabric, structure supporting tensioned fabric, and all associated cables, fittings and accessories.

2.4PERFORMANCE AND DESIGN CRITERIA

Requires delegated design engineer to design structure to local code. Requires applicable codes to be listed on drawings.

  1. General: Design tensioned fabric structure that complies with project specific codes indicated on drawings.

Requires design of supporting structure to be free standing with the fabric and without the fabric.

  1. Design structure supporting the tensioned fabric to be self supporting and not rely on fabric for structural stability.

Requires delegated designer to design loads on framing, connections to fabric and seams in fabric.

  1. Design the precise interface geometry, determination, reaction loads imposed on structural steel framing, anchoring loads, connection details, interfaces and seam layouts.

Requires the structure to be designed as a three dimensionally curved shape, have uniform loads on fabric and structure, and with stand the loads applied to it.

  1. Include large deflection numerical shape generation that will insure a stable, uniformly stressed, three dimensionally curved shape that is in static equilibrium with the internal pre-stress forces and is suitable to resist all applied loads.

Design system to withstand all applicable wind and seismic loads not just the typical loading.

  1. Use large deflection finite element method structural analysis of the membrane system under all applicable wind and seismic loads.

Design the connections, the bolt sizes, the weld sizes and types and the miscellaneous components.

  1. Design connections including bolt, weld and ancillary member sizing.

Include the properties of the fabric in the design to account for stretch and other fabric properties.

  1. Consult biaxial fabric test specification; include interpretation and fabric compensation determination.

Include design of the flat pieces of fabric that make-up the 3 dimensional shape shown

  1. Include accurate generation of the two dimensional compensated fabric templates required to generate the three dimensional equilibrium shape.
  2. Design tensioned fabric structure:

Include all loads imposed on structure including those listed.

  1. To withstand the effects of gravity loads and the following loads and stresses within limits and under conditions indicated according to ASCE/SEI 7 including but not limited to live load, dead load, snow load, seismic loads, and wind loads.

Requires design to be in accordance with fabric manufacture’s requirements so the Owner receives a warranted installation.

  1. In accordance with fabric manufacturer's requirements for warranted installation.

Requires design to allow for thermal movement of structure.

  1. To allow for thermal movements from ambient and surface temperature changes of 120 deg F, ambient; 180 deg F, material surfaces.

Requires design to prevent galvanic action which will speed the corrosion and failure of metal components.

  1. To limit corrosion and prevent galvanic action by isolating metals and other materials from direct contact with incompatible materials.
  2. To provide criteria on which the design is based:

Requires components to be selected based on 25 year life of structure.

  1. Expected Fabric Life: 25 years.

Requires Solar Reflectance to be comparable to specified fabric if a substitution occurs

  1. Solar Reflectance Index (SRI): minimum values dictated by basis of design fabric, calculated in accordance with ASTM E1980, Approach II.

2.5MATERIALS

  1. Structure Supporting Tensioned Fabric:

Requires delegated designer to use material they are familiar with to accomplish the profiles indicated

  1. General: Provide structural components and accessories in accordance with fabricator/installers standard practice unless specified otherwise. Provide shapes and profiles indicated.

Requires delegated designer to select materials for structure.

  1. Design structure with steel, stainless steel or aluminum in accordance with delegated design of tensioned fabric structure.
  2. Features:

Profile of structural members may be indicated here or on drawings with reference here.

  1. Profile: As indicated in drawings.

Final finish color of structural members may be indicated here or deferred to submittals.

  1. Final Finish Color: To be selected by Architect from manufacturer's full range.
  2. Finish:

Manufacturer’s standard paint finish.

1)Fabricator/Installers standard finish.

Manufacturer’s standard paint finish for salt water contact or other corrosive environment

2)Fabricator/Installers corrosive environment finish.

Hot dipped galvanized finish without painted topcoat. Welding of connections will remove this protective coating.

3)Fabricator/Installers hot dipped galvanized finish.

  1. Cables and Fittings:

Choose stainless steel or galvanized steel fittings.

  1. Fittings:

Stainless steel fittings are more corrosion resistant, finer visual quality, have longer expected service life, and are more expensive.

  1. Stainless Steel Fittings: Basis of Design Product: Structural Cable components by Ronstan or PFEIFER Wire Rope & Lifting. Comparable and substituted products will be judged based on the specified performance and design criteria, features, and warranty.

1)Performance Criteria:

a)Connectors of types indicated or required, fabricated from stainless steel, and with capability to sustain, without failure, a load equal to minimum breaking strength of cable with which they are used.

b)Material: 316 Grade Stainless Steel and Chrome-plated Bronze threaded turnbuckle fittings to prevent galling.

2)Features:

a)Swage attachment to cables

b)Aesthetic of finish.

c)Long term adjustability.

d)Long term rust resistance.

Galvanized fittings are less expensive, less corrosion resistant at threads, visually more industrial, shorter expected service life.

  1. Galvanized Steel Fittings: Basis of Design Product: Wire Rope and end fittings by The Crosby Group or PFEIFER Wire Rope & Lifting. Comparable and substituted products will be judged based on the specified performance and design criteria, features, and warranty.

1)Performance Criteria:

a)Connectors of types indicated or required, fabricated from hot dip galvanized steel, and with capability to sustain, without failure, a load equal to minimum breaking strength of cable with which they are used.

2)Features:

a)Industrial Finish.

b)Long term rust reduction.

Choose stainless steel or galvanized steel cable

  1. Structural Cable:

Stainless steel strand is more corrosion resistant, finer visual quality, have longer expected service life, and are more expensive.

  1. Stainless Steel Strand: Complying with ASTM A 368; strand configuration, diameter, cable constructions and minimum breaking load to be selected by delegated design engineer.

Galvanized wire rope is less expensive, less corrosion resistant at connections, visually more industrial, shorter expected service life.

  1. Galvanized Wire Rope: Complying with ASTM A 603; strand configuration, diameter, cable constructions and minimum breaking load to be selected by delegated design engineer.
  1. Tensioned Fabric:

The design is based on Tenara fabric selected below and its unique performance criteria and features. Materials proposed for substituted should be reviewed against the performance criteria and features required by the design to confirm the design intent can be maintained.

  1. Basis of Design Product: Tenara Fabric by SEFAR. Comparable and substituted products will be judged based on the specified performance and design criteria, features, warranty, and qualifications.
  2. Performance Criteria:

Requires passing fire test typically included in code requirements.

1)Fire-Test-Response Characteristics: Flame-Resistance Ratings: Passes NFPA 701.

2)Surface Burning Characteristics: Class A; Flame Spread Index of 25, maximum; Smoke Developed Index of 450, maximum; when whole system is tested in accordance with ASTM E84.

Choose Tenara 4T40HF or Tenara 4T20F based on desired light transmission

3)Tenara 4T40HF Light Transmission per ASTM D 1003:

a)Degree of Transmission: 38%.

b)Degree of Reflection: 59%.

c)Degree of Absorption: 3%.

4)Tenara 4T20HF Light Transmission per ASTM D 1003:

a)Degree of Transmission: 19%.

b)Degree of Reflection: 78%.

c)Degree of Absorption: 3%.

Strength of fabric which will impact the number of fittings and possible shapes.

5)Maximum Tensile Strength per ASTM D4851:

a)Warp: 456 pounds per inch

b)Weft: 456 pounds per inch.

  1. Features:

Tenara fabrics are 100% PVC free

1)Product Contents: PVC Free.

2)Tenara fabrics are a flexible and pliable ePTFE scrim with a fluoropolymer (PTFE) coating to increase performance.

3)Fabric Material: ePTFE (e polytetrafluorethylene).

Tenara fabrics are coated with 100% fluoropolymer the same long lasting coating used on exterior curtain walls and metal panels.

4)Coating Material: 100% Fluoropolymer.

Tenara fabrics are thin and strong allowing for light elegant shapes

5)Thickness: 0.002 Inch

Tenara fabrics are light weight which reduces the required structure and fittings.

6)Weight: 31.9 oz/square yard.

Both the coating and the scrim materials are UV resistant, maintaining bright white of new fabric for years.

7)UV-resistant and colorfast.

Plasticizers are a component required by some plastics and fabrics to make them flexible. They are also a component of the material that may not be UV stable. Tenara fabrics do not require plasticizers for flexibility.

8)Plasticizer Free.

Both the coating and the scrim materials are dirt and water repellent, maintaining bright white of new fabric for years.

9)Dirt and Water Repellent.

Tenara fabrics are delivered from the factory bright white and do not require sun bleaching to achieve white appearance.

10)Color: Bright white at time of installation.

Keep language if it is important material is fabricated in the United States.

11)Manufactured in the United States

2.6ACCESSORIES

Requires delegated designer to include all accessories required for a warranted installation even if they are not shown or listed.

  1. All accessory materials required by the manufacturer for a warrantable installation of the installed products in a manner that meets the Performance and Design Criteria.

PART 3 - EXECUTION

3.1EXAMINATION

Requires delegated designer to verify the project has not changed before they start design and fabrication.

  1. Verify existing conditions meet the manufacturer's requirements before starting work.

3.2PREPARATION

Requires preparation of surfaces to receive coatings and fittings and cables and fabrics to insure Owner receives a warrantable installation.

  1. Prepare surfaces to receive work in accordance with manufacturer's instructions.

3.3INSTALLATION

Requires installation of coatings and fittings and cables and fabrics to insure Owner receives a warrantable installation.

  1. General: Install all materials in accordance with manufacturer's instructions based on conditions present.
  2. Structure Supporting Tensioned Fabric:

Requires structure to be installed according to industry standards.

  1. Clean and strip primed steel items to bare metal where site welding is required.
  2. Supply setting templates to the appropriate entities for steel items required to be cast into concrete or embedded in masonry.
  3. Install items plumb and level, accurately fitted, free from distortion or defects.
  4. Provide for erection loads, and for sufficient temporary bracing to maintain true alignment until completion of erection and installation of permanent attachments.
  5. Field weld components indicated.
  6. Perform field welding in accordance with AWS D1.1/D1.1M.
  7. Obtain approval prior to site cutting or making adjustments not scheduled.
  8. After erection, prime welds, abrasions, and surfaces not shop primed or galvanized, except surfaces to be in contact with concrete.

Requires cables and fittings be installed according to manufacturer’s instructions to insure Owner receives a warrantable installation.

  1. Cables and Fittings: Install in accordance with delegated design documents and manufacturer's instructions.

Requires fabric be installed according to manufacturer’s instructions to insure Owner receives a warrantable installation.