Failure mechanisms and load paths in a standing seam metal roof under extreme wind loads

In this paper, the failure sequence and load sharing for standing seam metal roofs (SSMR), up to the limit state, were investigated using full-scale experiments. The tested SSMR system had full-scale dimensions and boundary conditions, which provided the opportunity to investigate the performance of SSMR systems under realistic conditions. The results show that there is a linear relationship between the wind pressure and clip reaction under low wind pressure (less than 500 Pa). Load redistribution happens along with the deformation of roof panels with greater load transfer to the ridge and eaves of the roof at higher pressure. Near the corner of the roof, between 27 and 46 % of the applied load is transferred to edges of the eaves and gable end. Away from the roof corner, between 17 and 23 % of the applied load is transferred to eave edge. Global buckling of panels occurs before connection failures and the initial location of global buckling is near the seam and in the middle of two adjacent clips. Two failure modes for the connections, clip slippage and fastener failure, were observed during the tests. However, the failure modes vary with the clip arrangement and boundary conditions.