2026-04-05T12:40:35Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/request

oai:recercat.cat:20.500.12328/52452026-03-13T19:50:16Zcom_2072_67741col_2072_484352

Experimental Evaluation of a Concealed Anchoring System for Large-Format Thin Ceramic Panels Under Wind Loading in Ventilated Façades Roviras Miñana, Jordi Sarrablo Moreno, Vicente Casariego Vales, Pedro Ventilated façades Large-format ceramic panels Concealed fixing systems Experimental testing Out-of-plane deformation Structural behavior Fachadas ventiladas Paneles cerámicos de gran formato Sistemas de fijación ocultos Ensayos experimentales Deformación fuera del plano Comportamiento estructural Fachadas ventilades Panells ceràmics de gran format Sistemes de fixació oculta Proves experimentals Deformació fóra de pla Comportament estructural Large-format thin ceramic panels are increasingly used in ventilated façade systems due to their reduced weight, high durability and architectural versatility. However, their reduced thickness and large dimensions require reliable anchoring solutions capable of safely transferring wind loads to the supporting structure. This study investigates the structural behaviour of a concealed mechanical anchoring system for large-format porcelain stoneware panels installed in ventilated façades. An experimental campaign was carried out using a full-scale façade prototype representative of real construction conditions. The specimen was subjected to incremental wind pressure and suction loading in a controlled laboratory environment while monitoring the deformation of the ceramic panels, backing support layer and aluminium substructure. The experimental results show that the ceramic panels exhibited stable structural behaviour without cracking or anchor pull-out under pressure levels up to 3006 Pa, exceeding twice the design service pressure. The maximum estimated deflection at the service pressure level (1300 Pa) was 5.7 mm, significantly below the admissible limit defined by the L/200 serviceability criterion. A simplified mechanical analysis based on classical bending theory confirmed that the stresses induced in the ceramic panels remained well below their flexural strength. The results demonstrate that the investigated concealed anchoring system provides reliable structural performance for large-format thin ceramic panels subjected to wind loading in ventilated façade systems, while the simplified analytical verification confirms the mechanical consistency between the measured deformation levels and the flexural capacity of the ceramic material. 2026-03-13T19:50:15Z 2026-03-13T19:50:15Z 2026-03-11 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Roviras Miñana, Jordi; Sarrablo Moreno, Vicente; Casariego Vales, Pedro. Experimental Evaluation of a Concealed Anchoring System for Large-Format Thin Ceramic Panels Under Wind Loading in Ventilated Façades. Materials, 2026, 19(6), 1062. Disponible en <https://www.mdpi.com/3781072>. Fecha de acceso: 12 mar. 2026. DOI: 10.3390/ma19061062 1996-1944 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12328/5245 https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19061062 eng Materials 19;6 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. MDPI