Metal Construction News, May 2018

PRODUCT FEATURE PCL and Oversized Panels PCL Construction recently completed an entertainment project in Orlando Fla that included oversized metal panels There were two different types of exterior insulated metal panels IMPs on the project one with a foam core and the other with mineral wool The panels were up to 45 feet in length and were 42 inches wide The metal wall panels were unloaded with a crane and spreader bar with multiple lift points to prevent bending of the panels Storage of metal panels on site was limited as much as possible due to the tight site constraints Bundles of panels were staged per the erection phases minimizing double handling The erection crew utilized vacuum equipment to lift and attach the metal panels to the building structural members The vacuum equipment was attached to the crane and had a redundant secondary safety line to the panel The erectors worked off two man lifts to fasten the panels to the building The vacuum equipment increased the speed of erection from the time the team initially hooked up to the panel through the time they fastened it to the structure If oversized metal panels are not properly handled with sufficient lift points on each panel the panel can become bent or fail to the point that it is unusable Sufficient lift points are critical when installing oversized metal panels Chance Barnes project manager PCL Construction Orlando Fla Trident and Oversized Panels To handle an 80 foot panel takes four men in the shop so you dont bend the panel when you are taking it off the rollforming machine An 80 foot panel usually takes five men to install but you save your labor on the end laps If you had two 40 foot panels you could get by with three men but it would take you twice as long because you lap it and do the whole end lap sealing detail in the back up piece that you fasten into If you can avoid an end lap it saves labor During installation oversized metal panels are more susceptible to wind pick up on a roof Theres more temporary strapping to do on a larger span For an 80 foot metal panel you would have to temporarily fasten it down in five locations a 40 foot panel only two locations Customers like long span panels because you eliminate a possible source of a leak with expansion contraction Willard Petrat vice president of operations Trident Building Systems Sarasota Fla A spreader bar can assist oversized metal panel installation Photo courtesy of AEP Span Installing continuous 210 foot metal panels on a barrel roof area Photo courtesy of Queen City Roofing and Sheet Metal crew to know these things Communication is always the best way to avoid problems in the field Accurate Oversized Installation According to Tyler oversized through fastened metal wall panels are installed in one of two ways One way is to pull the panel up with a rope and a device to secure them together Drilling a hole in the top of the panel that will later be covered by trim offers a method of attachment he says When doing it this way you will need to consider additional support for the middle of the panel to prevent bow outward or possibly buckling the sheet Alternatively taking the top of the panel up in a man lift while personnel hold the bottom from the ground is a proven method to get to the full upright position It may be necessary to support the panel 6 to 10 inches from the top of the panel to reduce the distance between support and prevent bow out and buckling on the way up Once www metalconstructionnews com 46 METAL CONSTRUCTION NEWS May 2018