BEC: Austin – Spontaneous Glass Breakage

BEC is Back! Join us for the return of our in-person monthly meetings with presentation and lunch provided at the AIA Austin office!
Lunch sponsored by Building Diagnostics, Inc., An ABB Company

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This month’s presentation:

Spontaneous Glass Breakage
withDavid H. Nicastro, P.E., F.ASTM
Senior Principal
Building Diagnostics, Inc., An ABB Company

All buildings use glass in the building envelope, and all will have some breakage during their service life. But sudden, unexplained breakage is not normal, expected, or acceptable. Spontaneous breakage is most likely caused by a defect in manufacturing, fabrication, or installation, including:

• Surface Scratches
• Edge Defects
• Thermal Shock
• Edge Contact
• Inclusions

This presentation will synthesize a practical understanding of spontaneous glass breakage based on theoretical behavior and failure case studies, with the following learning objectives:

1. Understand the range of potential causes of spontaneous glass breakage and their likelihood.
2. Understand the diagnostics techniques to differentiate between different causes.
3. Understand the design, fabrication, and construction practices that can prevent spontaneous breakage.
4. Understand mitigation strategies for buildings with a risk of ongoing breakage.

1 LU

Presenter bio:

David H. Nicastro, P.E., F.ASTM
Senior Principal
Building Diagnostics, Inc., An ABB Company
DNicastro@ABBae.com

David H. Nicastro, P.E., F.ASTM, is a licensed professional engineer specializing in durability and failure causation theory. He analyzes existing buildings and designs remedies. He is the founder of Building Diagnostics and Engineering Diagnostics, which grew to be an Inc. 500 firm by 2000. He also founded The Durability Lab, a testing center housed at The University of Texas at Austin to study the durability of building components, identifying factors causing premature failure. Mr. Nicastro is the past chairman of ASTM Committee C24 on Building Seals and Sealants, and has published over 50 articles and books on durability and failure of building materials.

News Flash – On October 31, 2022, Building Diagnostics merged with Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. (ABB). ABB is one of the largest architectural-engineering firms in the US that focuses on building enclosures, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection construction testing and forensic investigation.

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