DEFLECTION AND WIND LOADS

This document is intended to provide general recommendations only. Trespa provides these guidelines and all testing, code
and design data for informational purposes only and strongly advises that the customer, project owner and architect seek
independent advice from a certified construction professional and/or engineer regarding application and installation as well as
compliance with design requirements, applicable codes, laws and regulations, and test standards. Please check your local
codes and applicable design requirements for proper use.

General
There are numerous factors to consider when designing and installing Trespa® Meteon® panels. Panel appearance, joint
solution, cavity depth, drainage/ventilation performance and ease of installation are some important considerations.
However, the most important characteristics are panel strength and panel fixing (anchor) design:
防 Panel resistance to deflection and stress due to wind loading.
防 Load transfer (wind and dead load) via panel anchors to the sub-frame.
防 Load transfer through the sub-frame to the building structure.

This document will focus primarily on the ability of Trespa® Meteon® to resist wind load deflection and provide charts to
aid in panel fixing distances (anchor spacing).

Design considerations
防 Wind loads, fixing distances and panel deflection have to be calculated by a construction professional.
The customer, project owner and architect must always seek independent advice from a certified construction professional
and/or engineer regarding the accordance to national and/or local building regulations and certificates. Trespa does not
make any representations as to the implications of using a specific fixing system and disclaims any and all liability or
damages related thereto.
防 Any modification to Trespa® panels or components thereof, its geometry or its specifications, and any use or installation
of Trespa® panels or fixing system in combination with any material or component other as advised by Trespa, shall be
exclusively at the risk of the parties involved in such modification, use or installation, and each of such parties assumes all
such risks.
防 Structural performance is an important criteria in the design of a panel system for both aesthetic and structural
compliance reasons.
防 One of the interesting benefits of Trespa® Meteon® panels used as exterior cladding is the ability to resist wind loading
and remain flat. This capacity to resist deflection is determined by a number of factors including panel thickness,
mechanical properties and the distance between panel fixings (panel anchors).
防 Load bearing of panels, supports and fixings included, has to take place in such a way that maximum loads do not exceed
admitted strengths.

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 Technical details panel deflection
防 
Allowable panel deflection is often the controlling factor when designing panel installations, although other considerations may
impact the adequacy of the design. All design considerations should be evaluated prior to completion of a final panel system.
防 A panel’s permissible deflection ( ) is governed by national and/or local building regulations. The maximum allowable
panel deflection ( max) represents the distance the panel is allowed to deflect (or “bend”) and return to a flat position
without affecting structural integrity.
– In Europe, the maximum allowable panel deflection ( max) commonly used is L/200.
– In the United States, the maximum allowable panel deflection ( max) for semi-rigid exterior cladding is L/175 or ¾”,
whichever is less. This value is derived from the max used for glass and glazing (IBC 2006 Section 2403.3)
防 A minimum (wind) load must be taken into account to prevent the facade structure from not meeting design and
appearance expectations.
防 In order to provide the user a general overview of maximum fixing distances (anchor spacing) based on the standard panel
thicknesses of Trespa® Meteon®, the following graphs have been developed based on two general panel installation conditions:
– Single span; two support points in height and/or width.
– Multiple span; three or more support points in height and/ or width.

Panel deflection L/200

防 The graphs below show panel spans for Trespa® Meteon® panel thicknesses from 6 to 13mm for different wind loads and a
maximum panel deflection of L/200 (commonly used in Europe).
防 The maximum permitted panel spans can be found on the horizontal axis for a minimum wind load of 600 N/ m².
Higher wind loads will reduce the panel spans according to the graph.
防 These charts are intended to provide only a general overview of panel deflection design considerations. Each project must
be engineered by a construction professional as required.
code V3074 version 2.0 date 06-15-2011

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 Single span
Panels are often installed with only two support points in height and/or width. This allows the panel to deflect between these
two points. The curves shown on the following graph identify the spacing of the panel fixings (panel anchors) and associated
wind load resistance that meet the deflection criteria L/200 for panels installed using a single span.

Deflection for 2-supports (f=L/200)

2.100

2.000

1.900

1.800

1.700

1.600
Wind load (N/m2)

1.500
L
1.400

1.300

1.200

1.100

1.000

900

800
6 mm 8 mm 10 mm 13 mm
700

600
300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200
350 450 550 650 750 850 950 1050 1150

Panel span (mm)

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 Multiple span
More often, three or more support points are required in width and/or height. The deflection for these panels is a complex
combination of influences from each of the multiple spans. The curves shown on the following graph identify the spacing of
the panel fixings (panel anchors) and associated wind load resistance that meet the deflection criteria L/200 for panels
installed with multiple spans.

Deflection for more than 2-supports (f=L/200)

2.100

2.000

1.900

1.800

1.700
Wind load (N/m2)

1.600
L L L
1.500

1.400

1.300

1.200

1.100

1.000

900

800
6 mm 8 mm 10 mm 13 mm
700

600
300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200
350 450 550 650 750 850 950 1050 1150

Panel span (mm)

code V3074 version 2.0 date 06-15-2011

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 Panel deflection L/175

Single span
Panels are often installed with only two support points in height and/or width. This allows the panel to deflect between these
two points. The curves shown on the following graph identify the spacing of the panel fixings (panel anchors) and associated
wind load resistance that meet the deflection criteria L/175 for panels installed using a single span.

Deflection for 2-supports (f=L/175)

40

38

36
Wind load (PSF)

34

32

30 L

28

26

24 6 mm 8 mm 10 mm 13 mm
6 mm
≈ 1/4 in
8 mm
≈ 5/16 in
10 mm
≈ 3/8 in
13 mm
≈ 1/2 in

22
14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52

Panel span (in)

Multiple span
More often, three or more support points are required in width and/or height. The deflection for these panels is a complex
combination of influences from each of the multiple spans. The curves shown on the following graph identify the spacing of
the panel fixings (panel anchors) and associated wind load resistance that meet the deflection criteria L/175 for panels
installed with multiple spans.

Deflection for more than 2-supports (f=L/175)

40

38

36
Wind load (PSF)

34

32
L L L

30

28

26

24 6 mm 8 mm 10 mm 13 mm
6 mm
≈ 1/4 in
8 mm
≈ 5/16 in
10 mm
≈ 3/8 in
13 mm
≈ 1/2 in

22
14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52

Panel span (in)

5

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may be suitable for all applications and jurisdictions. We provide you with testing, code and design data for informational purposes only and
strongly recommend that you or any other user of this document obtains independent advice regarding compliance with design requirements,
applicable codes, laws and regulations, and test standards. Please check your local codes and design requirements for proper use. Trespa will not
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All oral and written statements, offers, quotations, sales, supplies, deliveries and/or agreements and all related activities of Trespa are governed by the
Trespa General Terms and Conditions of Sale (Algemene verkoopvoorwaarden Trespa International B.V.) filed with the Chamber of Commerce and
Industry for Noord- en Midden- Limburg in Venlo (NL) on 11 April 2007 under number 24270677,which can be found on and downloaded from
the Trespa website, www.trespa.com.

All oral and written statements, offers, quotations, sales, supplies, deliveries and/or agreements and all related work of Trespa North America, Ltd. are
code V3074 version 2.0 date 06-15-2011

governed by the Trespa General Terms and Conditions of Sale, which can be found on and downloaded from the Trespa North America Ltd. website,
www.trespa.com/na. A copy of these general conditions of sale will be provided free of charge on request.

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