Technical Specifications
Explanation of Testing Data
To be a valid test, all of the structural testing below must be witnessed by an independent third party from an AAMA approved Test Laboratory. Once tested the Laboratory generates a Test Report and sends it to the AAMA Administrator for certification. The AAMA Administrator evaluates the data submitted and issues the Certification for that particular product.
DESIGN PRESSURE H-LC35
THERMAL – NFRC 100-97
|
|
U-Value |
|
|
Text Size |
36 X 60 |
48 X 72 |
|
Clear |
0.50 |
0.50 |
|
Low-E/Argon |
0.34 |
0.32 |
|
(ClimaTech) |
|
|
STRUCTURAL
AAMA 101/I.S.2-97
DESIGN PRESSURE (DP): Products are designated by the design pressure for which they have been tested in pounds per square foot. Design loads start at 15 psf for ‘Residential’, 25 psf for ‘Light Commercial’, 30 psf for ‘Commercial’, and 40 psf for ‘Heavy Commercial’ windows. Higher design loads are then optional. This is also called the Performance Grade for that product. The actual structural test pressure required by test standard for a product equals 1.5 times the Design Pressure/Performance Grade. For example, an LC 30 Design Pressure/Performance Grade for a light commercial test size window, will have to pass a structural load test equal to 45 pounds per square foot (30 x 1.5 = 45 psf).
TEST SIZE: The windows are tested based on minimum test sizes for their respective applications. The windows are broken down into the following test classes which have been prescribed minimum test sizes: Residential (R), Light Commercial (LC), Commercial (C), Heavy Commercial (HC), and Architectural (AW).
AIR INFILTRATION: The Air Infiltration Test is conducted with the test unit installed in a wood buck and sealed to the structural test wall. The unit is tested with the sash(es) closed and locked. The unit is then subjected to the equivalent of a 25-mph wind load and the control panel measures the airflow through the window assembly. The designation on the test report reads cfm/sq. ft., which translates into cubic feet per minute per square foot of sash area. This is a pass/fail test with 0.30 cfm/sq. ft. as the high end and anything over the number (0.31 cfm/sq. ft. or higher) is a failure.
WATER: The Water Resistance Test is performed after the Air Infiltration Test. The test is performed by subjecting the window to a water spray of not less than 5 gallons per hour per square foot and applying the desired test pressure (wind load). The unit fails when the water overflows any part of the window and passes the interior vertical plane of the window. The Water Resistance Test is one of the major determining factors in the Grade Level of the window. The window water resistance must be at least 15% of the desired Design Pressure/Performance Grade. For example, an LC 30 product will have to pass a water resistance test equal to 4.5 pounds per square foot (30 x .15 = 4.5 psf).
STRUCTURAL LOAD: The Structural Load Test follows the Water Test. The content of this test is subjecting the window to various interior and exterior wind loads. An Exterior Load is referred to as a positive load, which would be the wind hitting perpendicular to the window from the outside of the structure and bowing the window inward. An Interior Load is referred to as a negative load, which occurs when the wind deflects off of a structure and creates a suction effect, bowing the window outward. The window structural loads are tested to 1.5 times the desired Design Pressure.
Thermally we simulate and test our windows to the guidelines set forth by the NFRC. Testing is done by a third party testing laboratory. Once the thermal simulations and validation is completed, the third party test lab sends them to our NFRC Administrator, which happens to be AAMA. There the data is analyzed, and if acceptable, is given a certification number and is added to our product database.
THERMAL
NFRC 100-97
Initially, we determine the content of the product matrix, which includes extrusions and reinforcements, used in the construction of the window, but more importantly the glazing options to be offered. This data is then forwarded to the independent third party test facility for simulations. The simulation process eliminates the need to physically test all of the various glazing options available, such as clear, low-e with argon, and Super Spacer. The computer simulates the window by evaluating the construction of the sash and main frame and the air chambers that comprise them. The particular glass option is then added to the equation and the thermal conductance is tabulated from that model. All of the glazing options are then inserted and the Product Matrix is constructed. Once established, the best possible unit from the Matrix is built for actual physical testing. The physical test window is sent to the test lab for Thermal Testing. The unit is put into a two sided chamber in which one side is heated to 70 degrees F and the other is cooled to 0 degrees F. Thermocouples are attached to the window in predetermined locations and the actual conductance of BTU’s is measured. This is where we get the “U-Value” of the window. U-Value is the measure of the rate heat flows through a window. The lower the U-Value the less heat a window will lose. The U-Value is the amount of heat, in BTU’s, that a window will lose by conduction, through each square foot of window area for each degree temperature difference across the window. If the U-value of the physical test unit is within 10% of the simulated unit in the product matrix, then the simulations are validated and accepted as “tested”.
SOLAR PROPERTIES
NFRC 200, 300, 301-97
After the window has been thermally simulated the Test Lab runs a simulation for the windows Optical Properties. Optical Properties include Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) and Visible Transmittance (VT). Solar Heat Gain Coefficient is an energy performance rating that measures the fraction of incident solar radiation admitted through the total window or door assembly. The lower the number, the better the product is at resisting Solar Heat Gain. Visible Transmittance is an energy performance rating that measures the amount of visible light transmitted through the total window or door assembly. The higher the number, the more daylight a product lets in.
ENERGY STAR®
The Energy Star Label we now put on the window is used in conjunction with the NFRC program. We apply the Energy Star label only on the windows with Low-E and Argon (ClimaTech). The Energy Star program requires window and door products meet certain standards for U-Value and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient as well as Visible Light Transmittance.
The Department of Energy has established three climate regions; the Northern which is mostly heating, the Central which is heating and cooling, and the Southern which is mostly cooling. To comply with Energy Star requirements a product must meet the following standards:
|
Northern Region |
U-Value of 0.35 or below |
|
SHGC – Any |
|
Central Region |
U-Value of 0.40 or below |
|
SHGC of 0.55 or below |
|
Southern Region |
U-Value of 0.75 or below |
|
SHGC of 0.40 or below |
With our Low-E/Argon package we can qualify anywhere in the United States with any of our windows. To apply the Energy Star label to a window, it must also be accompanied by the NFRC Temporary Label.
When the window leaves the manufacturing plant it should always have three labels on it with the fourth label dependent on the glass option. The AAMA Gold label, NFRC Temporary label, and Warranty label should be on every window shipped, and the Energy Star label is added when any window uses Low-E and Argon.
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