Seismic clip assembly for wall claddings
A seismic clip assembly features a U-shaped clip fastened to a structure at its base, and a threaded rod passing through a first flange and a second flange of the U-shaped clip, the threaded rod coupling the U-shaped clip to a subframe structure (e.g., HSS post), with the HSS post fastened to an IMP (or other cladding system). The threaded rod passes through a first elongated aperture extending longitudinally along a portion of a first side of the HSS post, and a second elongated aperture extending longitudinally along a portion of a second side of the HSS post, each elongated aperture forming a vertical slot in the HSS post. The seismic clip assembly is interposed between a structure and a wall cladding system to dampen in-plane movement between the two, ensuring integrity of the wall cladding system when the structure is under a load.
1 . A structural seismic clip assembly for coupling exterior wall cladding to a primary building structure, the assembly being configured to support vertical loads of the wall cladding and out-of-plane loads, the assembly comprising:
a U-shaped clip comprising a base, a first flange extending from a first side of the base, and a second flange extending from a second side of the base, the base configured to secure to the primary building structure in a fixed position via one or more fasteners;
a load-bearing subframe structure configured to support the exterior wall cladding in a fixed position relative to the subframe structure, the subframe structure comprising a first vertically elongated aperture on a first side and a second vertically elongated aperture on a second side opposite the first vertically elongated aperture;
a threaded rod configured to extend from the first flange, through the first vertically elongated aperture and the second vertically elongated aperture, and through the second flange, the vertically elongated apertures being configured to permit vertical sliding movement of the subframe structure relative to the U-shaped clip while the U-shaped clip remains fixed to the primary building structure;
wherein the exterior wall cladding is configured to be coupled to the subframe structure; and wherein a first spring mechanism is coupled to a first portion of the threaded rod, the first portion interposed between the first flange and the subframe structure, and a second spring mechanism is coupled to a second portion of the threaded rod, the second portion interposed between the second flange and the subframe structure.
2 . The seismic clip assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first spring mechanism is a first coil spring and the second spring mechanism is a second coil spring.
3 . The seismic clip assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more fasteners to secure the base to the structure comprise one or more washers or spacers between the base and the structure.
4 . The seismic clip assembly of claim 1 , wherein the wall cladding is an insulated metal panel (IMP).
5 . The seismic clip assembly of claim 4 , wherein the IMP is fastened to the subframe structure via one or more screws.
6 . A method of using a structural seismic clip assembly for coupling exterior wall cladding to a primary building structure, the method comprising:
interposing the seismic clip assembly between the primary building structure and the exterior wall cladding,
wherein a load-bearing subframe structure supports the exterior wall cladding in a fixed position relative to the subframe structure, and a U-shaped clip secured to the primary building structure remains fixed relative to the primary building structure;
permitting vertical movement of the subframe structure relative to the U-shaped clip through at least one vertically elongated aperture of the subframe structure while the U-shaped clip remains fixed to the primary building structure such that when the primary building structure moves vertically during seismic or drift events, vertical load transfer to the exterior wall cladding is reduced; wherein the subframe structure is coupled to the U-shaped clip via a threaded rod passing through a first vertically elongated aperture on a first side of the subframe structure and a second vertically elongated aperture on a second side of the subframe structure; and wherein the threaded rod comprises a first spring mechanism on a first portion of the threaded rod and a second spring mechanism on a second portion of the threaded rod.