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ALUMINUM SUNSHADE CLIP ATTACHMENT DESIGN

Does your sunshade supplier include the attachment clips? 

WE DO!

This seems like a silly question to most, but the truth is that usually the answer is "no!" 

Are you a contractor who found us by looking for someone to supply clips for your sunshades?  We can help with that too, but better yet bookmark our page now so you can find us easily for your next project.

Included standard with all our sunshades are our design services, the attachment clip (painted to match the sunshade), and detailed drawings showing methods of installing the clips.  This is often the most difficult and time consuming part of the process and is usually the most overlooked.  By buying your sunshades from H & H you get everything you need as a complete package.  We have seen countless projects where the wall finish is already in place and then the sunshades arrive with no clips and no way to hook them to the structure.

Sunshades should be looked at as a structural item as well as an architectural feature.

Most contractors and designers believe that aluminum sunshades are a purely decorative item that is normally installed at the end of the project. Although this is true, most are often surprised to find that sunshade design should be included in the structural analysis of the building.  Cantilever sunshades require some sort of structural support to resist the shear & moment forces induced upon the building.  Think first about how the shade is to be attached to the structure.  Here are some examples of attachment methods for hanging sunshades to a variety of substrates.

Click on the appropriate link or simply scroll down:

• Sunshade clip tab attachment to wide flange structural member.
• Sunshade clip tab attachment to horizontal tube steel (HSS) member.
• Sunshade clip tab attachment to vertical tube steel (HSS) member.
• Sunshade clip tab attachment to brick lintel.
• Sunshade bracket attachment to Concrete Wall.
• Sunshade bracket attachment to Brick Veneer over CMU wall.
• Sunshade bracket attachment to steel stud framing members.
• Sunshade bracket attachment to aluminum storefront or curtain wall system.
• Sunshade bracket attachment to plywood or wood structure

Additional Factors to consider:

• Thermal Expansion
• Galvanic Corrosion: Dissimilar metals in contact with eachother.

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• Sunshade attachment to structural steel wide flange (WF) at column line.

• Sunshade attachment to Steel Stud framing.  This is a less desirable attachment method, limiting the distance the shade can be cantilevered from the wall support.  This method also relies on the stud framing contractor dictating where the attachment points are located in the framing process.  This can often become a larger issue than it seems during the construction process.

• Sunshade attachment to Aluminum curtain wall system.  This is the least desirable connection type as it relies on the strength of the curtain wall system to support the forces of the shade.  Most curtain wall systems extrusions are not designed to withstand the types of forces that a sunshade applies. 

• Sunshade attachment to Wood Framing.  This method of attachment requires either a support bracket from below (shown), or a tension bar above.  The lag screws will not support the loading of the shade without a support member in place.

Additional Factors to consider:

• Thermal Expansion:  Because aluminum sunshades are made entirely out of aluminum they expand and contract at different rates than your building.  Most building substructures are made from steel, masonry, or wood.  Thermal expansion design is a necessity to ensure your shade does not self-destruct, or cause damage to your structure.  Every sunshade manufactured by H&H Enterprises, Inc. includes a specially designed thermal expansion connection at each shade section that allows 1/8"± total movement at each section.  This literally lets the shade "float", inducing no lateral load on the connection clip.

EXAMPLES OF INCORRECT SUNSHADE CLIP INSTALLATION

• Dissimilar Metals / Galvanic Corrosion:  Because the sunshade is aluminum, and the mounting clip steel, there must be a buffer to separate the dissimilar materials to prevent galvanic corrosion.  If aluminum comes in direct contact with steel the material will degrade over time, leaving the shade vulnerable to reduced loading characteristics.  Every shade manufactured by H & H Enterprises, Inc. includes a specially designed fastener made of stainless steel to prevent this corrosive action.  Stainless steel will not degrade due to the elements, and inhibits galvanic corrosion.

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