| Many studies of wind loads on low rise buildings have concentrated on medium to large industrial or commercial type structures with flat or low sloped roofs. Far fewer have been done on small buildings, the size of the typical domestic dwelling, which often experience the most severe damage in extreme wind events.; This study conducts analyses of a data base that was developed with the sponsorship of the Canadian Wood Council and the American Forest & Paper Association.; 1:100 models of small low buildings with 4:12 gable roofs and of constant width and height but different lengths, were tested at the University of Western Ontario. Pressures were measured over the building surfaces for different wind azimuths and two terrains. One model was tested in proximity to other similar structures.; This thesis establishes that an isolated building experiences higher loads than if surrounded by similar buildings. Further study then centres around isolated buildings. The effect of wind directionality is addressed by predicting expected peak loads that would occur if exposed to a circular wind climate, and comparing to corresponding peak loads based on the worst aerodynamic wind direction. Results indicate that directional effects are greater on small areas. As the area associated with a cladding load or structural response increases, the effect of directionality decreases. By comparison of loads between exposures, suburban terrain is shown to produce lower loads than those within an open country.; Finally, pressure distributions along specific lines and over specific areas demonstrate distributions over the low rise models. Trends are discussed with reference to some building aerodynamics. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
