Every year, we see headlines about roof collapses caused by snow. Building owners and structural engineers must understand that a roof can only hold so much weight before a failure occurs. Luckily, you can take some easy steps to prevent your roof from collapsing under too much snow.
Prevent Damage
A roof collapses when it experiences more weight than it was designed to support. Heavy snow and ice can cause the structure to buckle or break under the added pressure, so using a roof load calculator before winter arrives is essential. The calculator is easy to use and compares your roof’s maximum permissible load weight with actual snow loads that could be experienced. It considers the amount of accumulated snow, the live load generated by occupancy and rooftop equipment or pipe supports, and the uplift load caused by wind. The tool also considers slope correction necessary for a sloped roof. While flat or low-pitched roofs are more prone to damage from extreme snow buildup, even engineered buildings with long-span roofs can experience damage under certain conditions. This is because quick-changing weather can halt surface runoff, allow ice to form, and lead to structural damage.
Prevent Injuries
If you have a structurally damaged roof, it threatens the structure’s integrity and potential collapse and can also cause injuries. People in the building or working on the top can be crushed by falling debris and even killed.
It’s important to calculate the live load of a structure and factor in temporary weight, such as workers and any equipment or furniture on the roof. This will help prevent accidents on the top and can keep everyone safe.
Live loads are not only based on the weight of people and equipment but also the weight of snow. Snow can vary in density, so it’s crucial to understand how much your roof can handle before attempting a snow removal operation. For example, fresh snow weighs less than packed snow. A full inch of new snow can add up to 2.3 pounds per square foot.
Prevent Collapse
Roof-fall accidents are underground coal mines’ most serious production safety hazards. The unpredictability of the roof conditions makes it difficult to control the roadway. It results in many mine accidents, leading to loss of lives, days-lost injuries and significant economic losses. Often, roof collapse is caused by snow and wind loading, but even when these loads are not in place, the weight of water accumulating in low spots on a building can cause structural damage. Keeping drains clear can prevent this from happening and help prevent collapse. The research introduces a method for accurately calculating the roadway roof-fall height and boundary shape of the damaged area, which is significant for establishing reasonable roadway support methods.
Prevent Damage in the Future
A roof collapse will cause major disruption to your building’s operations and could result in injuries or deaths. While repairing the aftermath will be expensive, preventative measures can help you save money in the long run.
Identify the unit dead load: This is all the weight of materials on your roof, including ceiling material and permanent installations like HVAC units. This information can be found in your building’s construction documents or a standard guide to building structures, such as ASCE 7-05, which lists weights and stresses for many different types of materials and is highly regional based on climate. Determine the live load: People’s weights on the roof, tools, and equipment. Snow load is another variable factor that can vary widely. For example, fresh snow weighs less than packed snow and is lighter when ice-covered. Also, wind speeds affect drift patterns and load distribution.