bigHead® EN 1090-1 certified

bigHead stainless steel fasteners are now EN 1090-1 certified. With this certificate, bigHead is able to supply the construction industry with CE-marked stainless steel products.

The European Norm 1090 is a harmonized standard that covers structural/construction steel and aluminium products installed in a permanent manner. The section 1090-1 defines the requirements for conformity assessment for structural components. The CE certificate of conformity permits bigHead to supply declarations of performance and the CE-marking for its stainless steel ‘bigHeads’.

Strong, simple and secure fasteners for GRC

bigHead has designed fastening solutions for Glass-fiber Reinforced Concrete (GRC) applications for many years, working with designers and architects to optimize the design and performance of their GRC components. Replacing the traditional “T-bar” assembly appropriate for old style construction, the bigHead solutions represent simple, lightweight and efficient fastening systems that are proven in industry. Critically, the bigHead design not only helps designers maintain the benefits of GRC thin panel modular design, but also offers very significant process benefits during both GRC manufacture and final on-site assembly.

Numerous benefits for GRC design

The unique bigHead design allows GRC panels to be as thin and light as possible with no additional material required for fixing the bigHead anchors. They are inserted into the GRC material during the manufacturing process, thus removing secondary fixing processes, saving assembly time and preventing on-site assembly mistakes. They are discrete, being only visible from one side. In addition, bigHeads are corrosion resistant, made of 316 grade stainless steel, and withstand very high loads. bigHead’s design versatility maximizes GRC design freedom without compromising strength or quality.

Chelsea Artisans, architectural specialists, London

This refurbishment project used Diamond Ultralite panels cladding the atrium of a listed building because the existing structure could not accept the weight of traditional stone panels. Using a proprietary aluminium support framework, the panels were installed to the 25m high x 16m wide wall, in panel sizes up to 2.20m x 1.10m. bigHeads were embedded in the panels and in testing withstood 330kg tensile loading, leading Chelsea Artisans to comment “The safety margins are quite impressive”. For nearly 40 years, Chelsea Artisans & Fusion Glass Designs have developed a creative and commercial approach to the design, manufacture, supply project management and installation of architectural decorative glass. Many years of experience, extensive technical knowledge and the ability to overcome technical and creative challenges enables the company to supply a wide range of major projects both in the UK and internationally.

Underground rail project, London

bigHead has designed a unique solution with one of the largest manufacturers of GRC products in the UK for a major underground rail project in London. The bigHead solution provides a fixing method that meets all the technical specifications but will also save significant assembly time without compromising the design.

Performance data

bigHead has worked on a number of GRC projects and has technical data to show how strong the bigHead fasteners are under tensile and shear loads with different material grades and panel thicknesses. Increasing the size of the “head” on the bigHead will increase the load values the panel can withstand.

Further information about bigHead components