Performance of Roof Tiles under Simulated Hurricane Impact
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 15, Issue 1
Abstract
Widespread damage to tile roofs over the last few years, even for weaker hurricanes, has raised concerns regarding construction practices and codes. An experimental study was carried out for clay and concrete roof tiles with adhesive- and mortar-set attachments using a “Wall of Wind” apparatus. The estimated peak gust wind speeds achieved in the simulations were 31.5 and (70.5 and ), as defined by the ASCE 7 Standard. Tests were conducted for winds from the 0° direction and subsequently, unless the roofs suffered significant damage, from the 50° direction. The research objectives were to assess roof-tile performance and observe failure modes in simulated hurricane conditions, and obtain wind pressure data allowing comparisons of measured pressures with pressures for components and cladding specified in the ASCE 7-05 Standard. Comparisons of pressure time histories for different tile systems showed that the external pressure on a tile is strongly influenced by the surface geometry of the tile. The concrete tile roof with mortar set showed the best performance among all tested roofs. Workmanship was found to be a major factor to roof-tile performance. Test results also suggested that the ASCE 7-05 pressure coefficient values are conservative for assessing wind loads acting on individual tiles.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Florida Department of Community Affairs through the International Hurricane Research Center. Tests were conducted using the mobile Wall of Wind funded by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The findings and opinions presented in this paper are those of the writers and not necessarily the views of the sponsoring agencies.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 15 • Issue 1 • March 2009
Pages: 26 - 34
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Nov 21, 2007
Accepted: Sep 26, 2008
Published online: Mar 1, 2009
Published in print: Mar 2009
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