Now Avail able ON S E R IE S 3 0 0 0 AND PT2 COOL IN G T O W E RS IBC Compliance for Seismic and Wind Baltimore Aircoil Company What is the International Building Code®? The International Building Code® (IBC) is a model code developed by the International Code Council (ICC)® and available for adoption by jurisdictions internationally.Various editions of the IBC are the basis for nearly all US state and local building codes. Once adopted, the IBC provisions become enforceable regulations. The IBC includes structural design requirements for buildings and structures. Cooling towers are parts of buildings and other structure types, and as such, the structural design falls within the scope of the IBC.The design provisions contain requirements for towers subjected to wind and seismic loads. For these design requirements, the IBC refers extensively to ASCE/SEI 7, the consensus standard published by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Seismic Design Requirements for Cooling Towers Several key variables are provided in the project design documents to determine the seismic design requirements for factory assembled cooling towers. Seismic Design Category (SDC) – A building classification ranging from A to F (low to high) that is based on the Occupancy Category and the severity of the design ground motion at a building site. Occupancy Category – A classification ranging from I to IV for buildings and other structures based on the level of occupancy and the nature of use. Category I buildings represent a low hazard to life in the event of failure. Category IV buildings are considered essential facilities and include hospitals and emergency response centers. Component Importance Factor (Ip) – All cooling towers are assigned a component factor of either 1.0 or 1.5. Towers needed for continued operation of an essential facility (Occupancy Category IV), or required to function after an earthquake are assigned an Ip of 1.5. Air conditioning is needed for operation of most essential facilities, meaning cooling tower operation after an event will be required. Design Spectral Acceleration (SDS) – The design spectral acceleration is dependent on soil characteristics and maximum ground shaking intensity at a given location. The ground shaking intensity can be obtained from probabilistic seismic hazard maps provided in the IBC or by using software tools provided by the ICC® or the U. S. Geological Survey. The specific acceleration that cooling towers are required to resist is the design spectral acceleration at short period, SDS. Tower Attachment Location – The height of the cooling tower structure within a building affects the design seismic acceleration. QUALIFICATION METHODS Manufacturers must provide certification to confirm that their towers have been qualified by at least one of the following methods: Testing – A full-scale cooling tower is subjected to a simulated seismic event in a test laboratory.Typically, the test method is a shake-table test conducted in accordance with a code-recognized test procedure, such as the AC156. Analysis – A cooling tower is analyzed to determine if it can resist the code-prescribed, seismic design forces.Typically, an analysis of this type focuses on the anchorage only or on the anchorage and main structural components.The analysis usually does not address the non-structural portions of a tower that affect functionality and cannot be used for cooling towers with an importance factor of 1.5. Experience Data – A cooling tower is qualified using actual earthquake performance data collected in accordance with a nationally recognized procedure.Though this method is used to some extent in the nuclear power industry, its use in commercial mechanical equipment applications is extremely limited. The methods are not equally suitable for verification of all aspects of cooling tower seismic performance.The suitability of each method is summarized in the following table. Suitability of Qualification Methods for Cooling Towers Qualification Method Characteristic Anchorage integrity Structural integrity Non-structural component integrity Functionality Testing Anaylsis 4 4 4 4 4 4 Experience Data Seismic Hazard Map Highest Hazard 64+ 48-64 32-48 %g 16-32 8-16 4-8 0-4 Lowest Hazard BAC’S DESIGN & QUALIFICATION PHILOSOPHY BAC has developed and implemented a comprehensive approach for qualifying all new products for seismic and wind loads, using multiple methods. BAC’s comprehensive seismic and wind load design and qualification approach includes: Testing: • Full-size towers are tested at independent test laboratories in accordance with AC156 • Tests are conducted on tri-axial shake tables Reliability: • Functional tests are conducted before and after testing to verify functionality and certify towers for use in applications where the component importance factor is 1.5 Insist on shake table • Wind loading tests Analysis: • Products are analyzed using the latestgeneration, three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) software packages • Computer models are validated using full-scale test data as described above • Computer models are used to optimize tower design for various loading conditions and product configurations Certification: • Certificate of Seismic and Wind Compliance provided on every order testing based verification of operability after an event. According to ASCE/SEI 7 (American Society of Civil Engineers), which is the basis for much of the IBC code, analysis only cannot be used to verify functionality. • Analysis and testing conducted under the supervision of an independently registered Professional Engineer Baltimore Baltimore Aircoil Aircoil Company Company Insist on IBC Compliant Construction for your next evaporative cooling equipment project. Contact your local BAC Representative for more information or contact: Baltimore Aircoil Company P.O. Box 7322, Baltimore, MD 21227 USA Phone: 410.799.6200 • Fax: 410.799.6416 Web: www.BaltimoreAircoil.com Baltimore Aircoil Company ...because temperature matters™ © 2007 Baltimore Aircoil Company. All Rights Reserved.