Numerical analysis of aluminium façade components: material properties, elastic-plastic response and sustainable impact

This paper commences with a scientific literature review of current research that underlines the environmental benefits to be gained from using smaller quantities of raw materials in the construction industry, with particular emphasis on a sustainable approach to facade design. Life cycle assessment modelling is advocated to validate the sustainability of building structures to achieve optimal solutions. A real-life application of the design of an aluminium façade bracket is presented, demonstrating that a weight reduction of up to 35-45% is attainable by exploiting the post-elastic properties of a material. The work described ranges from a discussion of the current conventional numerical techniques adopted by the industry to the most recent and advanced computational methods permitted by the introduction of Eurocode 9. This code facilitates a substantial enhancement in structural performance by incorporating an evaluation of the material's elastic-hardening behaviour and allows for a noteworthy reduction in component size and increased geometric design flexibility.