When it comes to environmental stressors, predictable and ductile bracing can be the difference between structural integrity and catastrophic failure. DonoBrace is a tension-only rod bracing system that has been designed and dynamically tested to ensure superior performance in extreme conditions.
With over 60 years of industry experience, our focus at Donovan Group is to innovate towards more efficient and sustainable industry practices. We find ways to improve the design, engineering, manufacturing and on site processes that help construction professionals create better quality structures.
We realised a need for bracing solutions in high load environments, where engineers must consider wind, seismic, or other extreme weather factors in their design. DonoBrace is engineered to meet high load requirements, and at the same time provide a streamlined bracing process for industry professionals.
Performance in a range of environments
“In today’s world, preparation is crucial. As global weather conditions change, we need to design and engineer solutions to meet high load environments.”
- Sam Adshead, Senior Engineer at Holmes Solutions
Structural engineers in areas that aren’t seismic-prone may consider dynamic testing to be irrelevant to their work. However, bracing systems with higher ductility also help prepare buildings for extreme environments, such as high wind, hurricanes or tornadoes.
Any environmental stressor puts additional force onto a structure’s bracing system. To prepare for unexpected and irregular loads, it’s essential to employ bracing that isn’t just strong, but also ductile and flexible.
DonoBrace has been through rigorous dynamic testing to understand the system’s performance under stress. This testing process involves stretching the system in a machine until it attains peak force, and well beyond, until it eventually breaks. This method is repeated again and again to ensure that the product performs consistently.
Why is dynamic testing important?
Ductility has been called ‘the secret sauce’ of seismic engineering. It’s a product’s ability to withstand cyclic deformations. While flexibility measures how far a bracing system will deflect under force, ductility describes the way in which that deflection occurs. The more ductile the bracing, the more it can bend, and the better it can maintain a building’s structural integrity.
We know that there is no replacement for quality assurance – which is why we have invested in rigorous testing every step of the way.
Dynamic testing has allowed us to understand DonoBrace’s material properties and how the system performs under simulated seismic and wind forces.
Designing for strength, ductility and performance
DonoBrace is created with lightweight, high-strength steel to support greater capacities with less material weight. Using galvanised plates and connectors, the system is designed for quality and durability.
Performance in high load environments, however, goes beyond the properties of the bar and thread. Every element of the DonoBrace system – down to the smallest piece – has been carefully designed to support long-term quality assurance, predictability and resilience.
The system has been designed to provide extra hold and tension, ensuring that all pieces will resist loosening during unpredictable structural vibrations.
DonoBrace is the Donovan Group solution to high capacity bracing in seismic and high wind environments. As an off-the-shelf bracing system, DonoBrace is designed to offer a simpler and more effective way to brace portal frame buildings.
To learn more about how the system performs in seismic and high wind environments, download the DonoBrace Technical Guide, or get in touch with our expert team.