Research on Solutions and Technical Measures for Thermal Stress Problems in Large-Area GRC Curtain Walls

[Solving the Thermal Stress Challenge of GRC Curtain Walls: A 28-Year Industry Leader's Technical Breakthrough and Full-Chain Solutions]

Building envelopes are like fashion—they need to look stunning, but also be structurally resilient. In landmark buildings such as grand theaters and commercial complexes, large-area GRC curtain walls have become a creative canvas for designers thanks to their sculptural flexibility, yet cracking and deformation caused by thermal stress have long plagued the industry. As a national high-tech enterprise with 28 years of deep expertise in UHPC/GRC/GRG/GRP materials, Qinglong Group leverages its full-chain technical strength to build a thermal stress prevention and control system spanning material R&D through construction and maintenance, providing reliable technical assurance for super-large GRC curtain wall projects.

The "Invisible Killer" of Thermal Stress in GRC Curtain Walls: Material Properties and Environmental Challenges

As a composite material, glass fiber reinforced concrete (GRC) has a thermal expansion coefficient that differs from the base structure; when ambient temperature variations exceed 50℃, curtain wall panels are prone to thermal gradient stress. A cultural center project in a provincial capital city once developed through-going cracks in 2,000㎡ of GRC curtain wall because the extreme temperature difference from -15℃ in winter to 70℃ in summer had not been fully accounted for. Through 100,000 thermal cycle tests, Qinglong's technical team found that ordinary GRC is prone to interfacial debonding under temperature cycling, whereas an improved formulation with basalt fiber and nano-silica fume can increase the material's elastic modulus by 30%, effectively buffering thermal deformation stress.

Three-Dimensional Solutions: A Technical Closed Loop from Material Innovation to System Design

At the material level, Qinglong's "gradient composite GRC" technology adjusts glass fiber content (6-8%) and a resin-modified cement matrix to keep the component's thermal conductivity below 0.35W/(m·K), reducing thermal stress by 40% compared with conventional GRC. After an international convention center project adopted this material, monitoring over 3 winter-summer cycles recorded a maximum panel deformation of only 0.8mm.

In structural design, the original "floating anchoring system" integrates BIM parametric technology to achieve ±15mm displacement compensation through adjustable stainless steel connectors. In a commercial complex project in Guangzhou, this system successfully resolved the superimposed stress from main structure settlement and thermal deformation, achieving installation precision of ±2mm, far exceeding industry standards.

Full Lifecycle Control: Technical Depth from 28 Years of Engineering Experience

As an enterprise that participated in drafting the Technical Standard for Building Application of Glass Fiber Reinforced Cement (GRC) (JGJ/T423-2018), Qinglong has established a full-process quality control system covering detailed design, manufacturing, and installation. In the detailed design stage, finite element simulation software is used for thermal field analysis to predict stress concentration zones in advance; in production, steam curing (80℃×6h) stabilizes material performance; during construction, 3D laser scanning positioning ensures installation tolerances ≤3mm. In the Nanning ASEAN Culture and Art Center project, this system has kept the GRC curtain wall free of any structural damage in the 5 years since completion.

Industry Collaboration and Future Outlook: Building a New Ecosystem for GRC Applications

Addressing industry pain points, Qinglong is advancing the R&D of a "GRC+UHPC" composite curtain wall system, using UHPC's ultra-high strength (compressive strength ≥150MPa) to optimize the support structure. It has already achieved the safe application of a single 12㎡ super-large GRC-UHPC composite panel in a landmark project in Shenzhen. As a vice chairman unit of the China GRC Association, Qinglong is willing to share its 28 years of technical accumulation with industry peers, driving "material innovation + digital construction" in parallel so that GRC curtain walls can radiate lasting architectural beauty despite the challenge of thermal stress.