Understanding Ultimate And Nominal Design Pressures For Windows And Doors

Design pressure testing measures the performance of fenestration products to withstand positive and negative pressures.

Understanding ultimate and nominal design pressures for windows and doors. High speed wind such as wind during a hurricane creates positive and negative pressures and this pressure can tear out windows and doors break glass and force rain into your home. The pressure is caused by wind blowing on and around the subject property. Minimum design wind pressures the design wind pressure for c c shall not be less than a net pressure including internal pressures of 16 psf acting in either direction normal to the surface i e. Dp ratings represent three performance elements structural load water resistance and air infiltration resistance.

The design pressure tests were designed to measure wind loads and how resistant windows would be to different types severity of storms. Dp stands for design pressure. National building codes now require testing and certification of windows. According to aama american architectural manufacturers association wdma window and door manufacturers association and the nafs north american fenestration standard design pressure dp is a rating that identifies the load.

A dp or design pressure rating is a numerical value given to a building component that represents its ability to withstand a given amount of wind load. Design pressures are the amount of pressure put on the openings envelopes windows doors during a hurricane. For testing required in sections r612 6 r612 7 and r612 8 design pressures determined from table r301 2 2 or asce 7 are permitted to be multiplied by 0 6. Note also that for skylights the structural design pressure is 200 percent of design pressure whereas it is 150 percent for windows and doors.

What is design pressure and how does it impact the windows or doors you are considering for your home. 10 psf asd general requirements. Using this design pressure as a basic element architectural designs for building walls doors and windows are created accordingly. Exterior windows and doors shall be designed to resist the design wind loads specified in table r301 2 2 adjusted for height and exposure per table r301 2 3.

A higher dp value indicates a window or door that can withstand more wind water and or structural load than a window with a lower dp. Let s start with the definition of design pressure. It just starts at 2 9 psf for the gateway dp of 15. What this means is that a lab has carefully tested a window s design pressure by measuring how many pounds of pressure per.

Windows and sliding glass doors must meet the requirements of industry standards that include air water and structural testing. As defined by the aama american architectural manufacturers association wdma window and door manufacturers association and the nfrc national fenestration rating council design pressure is a rating that identifies the load induced by wind and or static snow that a product is rated to withstand in its end use application. The water penetration resistance test pressure for r products is also 15 of dp.