Case 2
- Introduction
- Causes of Defects
- Good Practices
- Standards
- Maintenance and Diagnostics
- Remedial
- Similar Cases
- References
Cause of Defects
The photo reveals a dented edge with part of the panel coating chipped off. This causes loss of aesthetic value to the cladding appearance.
From the cladding edges, it could be seen that there is a slight indentation. This indicated that the edge where the coating has chipped off could have experienced knocks during transportation and handling process which created dents leading to build up of stress along the coating layer. Dents occurring at edges of panels are more likely to be caused during installation stage than during the operation stage because the chance of impact directed at the edges is decreased due to the presence of adjacent panels.
Ground floor cladding panels are often subjected to accidental knocks and other impact loads (e.g. from trolleys) which lead to large dents. The risk has been increased by lack of adequate protection in the form of metal barricades at wall corners most prone to such impacts. Furthermore, the panel edges tend to be weaker as the panels are routed and folded to form bents during the fabrication stage. Thus impacts can easily lead to cracks developing along the folded edge.
Consequences
Corrosion of base material may occur if such defect is left unattended.