Reliability of Light-Frame Roofs in High-Wind Regions. II: Reliability Analysis
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 125, Issue 7
Abstract
The majority of residential construction in the United States is light-frame wood construction. An increasingly large number of homes are being built in coastal areas subject to hurricanes. In response to devastating losses in these areas following hurricanes, and the increased risk to homeowners, insurers, and local, state, and federal government, attention is being focused on improving the performance of residential construction subject to coastal hazards. One of the most significant performance issues identified is that of maintaining the integrity of the roof system during a hurricane. Reliability analysis provides one possible tool for evaluating performance or relative risk (safety) of structural components. In this study, a reliability analysis is conducted for a simple gable-end roof. Specific limit states (modes of failure) considered include loss of sheathing and failure of the roof-to-wall connection. Statistical information on element and subsystem capacity is obtained from previous laboratory tests and analytical studies. Statistics of the wind load acting on individual roof-sheathing components were determined in the first part of this two-part paper. In the present paper, the reliability of light-frame roof components subject to wind uplift is investigated, and results presented, for three baseline coastal residential structures. The results confirm that there are a relatively small number of sheathing panels and roof-to-wall connections that dominate the failure probability.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Cheng, N. ( 1998). “Reliability of light-frame roof systems subject to wind uplift,” MS thesis, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
2.
Dover, S. C. ( 1996). “Uplift capacity of sheathing to light-metal framing,” MS thesis, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
3.
Ellingwood, B., Galambos, T. V., MacGregor, J. G., and Cornell, C. A. ( 1980). Development of a probability based load criterion for American National Standard A58, NBS Spec. Publ. SP577, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C.
4.
Ellingwood, B., and Tekie, P. B. (1997). Wind load statistics for probability-based structural design, NAHB Research Center, Upper Marlboro, Md.
5.
Housing affordability through design efficiency program. (1997). NAHB Research Center, Inc., Upper Marlboro, Md.
6.
“Minimum design loads for buildings and other structures.” (1993). ASCE 7-93, ASCE, Reston, Va.
7.
“Minimum design loads for buildings and other structures.” (1996). ASCE 7-95, ASCE, Reston, Va.
8.
Mizzell, D. P. ( 1994). “Wind resistance of sheathing for residential roofs,” MS thesis, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
9.
Reed, T. D., Rosowsky, D. V., and Schiff, S. D. (1996). “Roof rafter to top-plate connections in coastal residential construction.” Proc., International Wood Engineering Conference, New Orleans, La., 4, 458–465.
10.
Rosowsky, D. V., and Cheng, N. (1999). “Reliability of light-frame roof systems in hurricane-prone regions, Part I: Wind loads.” ASCE, J. Struct. Engrg., 125(7), 725–733.
11.
Rosowsky, D. V., and Schiff, S. D. (1996). “Probabilistic modeling of roof sheathing uplift capacity.” Proc., ASCE Spec. Conf. on Probabilistic Mech. and Struct. Reliability, Worchester, Mass., American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Va., 334–337.
12.
Schiff, S. D., Rosowsky, D. V., and Lee, A. W. C. (1996). “Uplift capacity of nailed roof sheathing panels.” Proc., International Wood Engineering Conference, New Orleans, La., 4:446–470.
13.
Sparks, P. R., Schiff, S. D., and Reinhold, T. A. (1994). “Wind damage to envelops of houses and consequent insurance losses.” J. Wind Engrg. and Industrial Aerodyn., 53, 145–155.
14.
“Standard for hurricane resistant residential construction.” (1994). SSTD 10-93, Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc., Birmingham, Ala.
15.
Tyner, K. G. ( 1996). “Uplift capacity of rafter-to-wall connections in light-frame construction,” MS thesis, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
16.
Wood frame construction manual. (1995). American Forest & Paper Assoc., American Wood Council, Washington, D.C.
17.
Zaitz, M. D. ( 1994). “Roof sheathing racking effect on fastener withdrawal capacities,” MS thesis, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 125 • Issue 7 • July 1999
Pages: 734 - 739
History
Received: Oct 8, 1998
Published online: Jul 1, 1999
Published in print: Jul 1999
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.