Wind-Induced Internal Pressures in Houses
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 7
Abstract
The effects of ten different opening configurations on the internal pressures in a typical two-story North American house were examined using volume-scaled, wind tunnel experiments. The configurations examined include the effects of (1) dominant opening locations and sizes; (2) wall leakage; (3) compartmentalization of the attic space from the living space; and (4) roof and soffit vents. Helmholtz resonance was observed to significantly amplify the internal pressures for open area ratios greater than 3% and full-scale volumes of approximately . The ASCE 7-05 was found to significantly underestimate the peak internal pressure coefficients for all configurations with dominant openings, regardless of whether there was significant Helmholtz resonance or not. Peak external roof pressures were observed to be highly correlated in time with the internal pressures. It is shown that sealing the attic space from the main (living) space of the house has a significant benefit in not allowing the internal pressure to act on the underside of roof sheathing. However, for just 0.4% open area between the two spaces, peak pressures of 80% of the peak in the living space are transmitted into the attic.
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Acknowledgments
The writers gratefully acknowledge the support provided for this work by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, through the CRD program. The first writer also gratefully acknowledges the support provided by the Canada Research Chairs Program.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 7 • July 2008
Pages: 1129 - 1138
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Mar 29, 2007
Accepted: Dec 27, 2007
Published online: Jul 1, 2008
Published in print: Jul 2008
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Kurtis R. Gurley
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