Development of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Roof-to-Wall Connection
Publication: Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 15, Issue 4
Abstract
A significant proportion of damage to buildings in hurricanes occurs owing to weak roof-to-wall connections. The objective of this study was to develop an innovative, efficient, and nonintrusive roof-to-wall connection for wood-frame structures by using high-performance fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. Several connection configurations were developed and tested at the component level under uplift loading. The most feasible configuration was selected and further tested at the component level under lateral loadings. The selected FRP tie system was then tested at a full-scale model designed to represent conventional wood-frame buildings. The objective was to assess the connection’s in situ performance under simulated uplift forces. The results of the full-scale tests were in close agreement with those obtained from the component-level tests. Control tests were also performed to evaluate the load capacity of a typical commercial metallic hurricane clip to facilitate comparison of its results with that of the newly developed FRP tie. The FRP tie system described in this study offers an easy-to-apply, nonintrusive, and viable alternative to existing metal hurricane clips for both new construction and existing structures.
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Acknowledgments
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSFAward No. CMMI-0727871) and the Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant Program (UNSPECIFIEDAward No. GOM/RP-1). The experiments were carried out at the Titan America Structures and Construction Laboratory of the Florida International University. Findings and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring agency.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Composites for Construction
Volume 15 • Issue 4 • August 2011
Pages: 644 - 652
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 18, 2010
Accepted: Nov 23, 2010
Published online: Dec 6, 2010
Published in print: Aug 1, 2011
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