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Loads Due To Snow

This document discusses loads on roofs due to snow. It notes that snow accumulates in uniform layers on horizontal surfaces without wind, but can accumulate non-uniformly on sloped roofs. It provides the specific weight formula to calculate snow load and notes the average specific weight used in Romanian design codes. The document outlines how the snow load at the soil level is adjusted using coefficients to determine the design snow load at the roof level, accounting for factors like wind exposure, thermal insulation of the roof, and roof geometry.

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Radu Vali
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54 views

Loads Due To Snow

This document discusses loads on roofs due to snow. It notes that snow accumulates in uniform layers on horizontal surfaces without wind, but can accumulate non-uniformly on sloped roofs. It provides the specific weight formula to calculate snow load and notes the average specific weight used in Romanian design codes. The document outlines how the snow load at the soil level is adjusted using coefficients to determine the design snow load at the roof level, accounting for factors like wind exposure, thermal insulation of the roof, and roof geometry.

Uploaded by

Radu Vali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Loads due to snow

Snow is a climatic agent specific for areas with


cold seasons.

Snow action is significant and dangerous


especially for light-weight roofs, leading to
spectacular loss of strength and stability.

Along the horizontal surfaces and in the


absence of wind, the snow lays in an uniform
thickness layer, variable in time.

If the slopes are small, for inclined surfaces


the situation is similar to horisontal surfaces. If
the slope is great, more than 60 degrees, the
snow totally slides so there is no snow load.

The successive snow layers suffer the


phenomena of freezing and thawing, therefore
in the thickness of snow layer exists zones
with different structures, most dense being
those from the base. In the case of snow
layers the rigorous expression for the specific
weight must be done depending on a function
of the thickness h, of type z(h).
For the current design practice, Romanian
codes adopt a conventional average value for
the snow specific weight of:
z=2.5kN/mc
The geometry of the snow layer at the roof
level is different from that at the soil level in
the absence of wind.
At the roof level the thickness of the snow
layer may vary function of the geometry of the
roof, the roughness of the roofing, the thermal
caracteristics, the presence of neighbouring

constructions, the meteo caracteristics, all


these conditions being resumed into two
fundamental situations:
- The snow layer is almost uniform, case in
which there is no wind action and no
thawing processes, so only the geometrical
configuration of the roof is given,
- The snow is laying in nonuniform layer,
being agglomerated in some areas and
diminished in some others, the spatial
redistribution of snow taking place.
In design practice both situations must be
taken into account.
Modelling the snow load at the roof level
starts, according to the codes in force,
with the determination of the weight of
the snow layer at the soil level, on
horizontal surface and in the absence of
wind.

The specific weight of a snow layer of


constant thickness hz at soil level, expressed
in sqm of horizontal surface is given by the
following relationship:
gz=hz x z

[kN/mp]

So, as the density has a conventional value,


there is only one random variable left,
namely the thickness of the snow layer at the
soil level, (hz) .
The Romanian code in force (CR1-1-3/2012)
gives directly, for each main city or zone, the
caracteristic value for gz under the european
notation sok as being the caracteristic value of
snow load at soil level.
The result is a snow zone map of Romania
from the p.o.v of sok values in the form of a
climatic map containing cities and zones
situated at altitudes less than 1000 m.

According to CR1-1-3/2013 the snow load


associated to a certain roof is a static load,
noted s,uniformly distributed on sqm of
horizontal projection of the roof and whose
caracteristic value is given by the following
expresion function of the weight of the snow
layer at the soil level:
s= gis x i x ce x ct x sk
Passing from the snow load at the soil level
and in the absence of wind at the roof level
of a construction located in a zone subjected
to wind action is made by means of a
number
of
deterministic
coefficients
introducing in the model concrete issues
related to:
- wind exposure of the location, called
exposure coefficient of the location and
noted ce.

Practically the following exposure situations


are taken into account:
-complete exposure = open flat
location without shelter with respect to the
wind action (0.8)
-partial exposure = uneven location
with forests or constructions determining
unimportant variations of the snow (1.0)
-reduced exposure = a sheltered
location like in a valley or among forests
with high trees or high rise buildings where
the phenomenon of snow agglomeration is
very possible to ocur (1.2)
- thermal insulation degree of the roof, the
coefficient ct is called thermal coefficient of
the roof.
This coefficient takes into account the fact
that, due to some excessive losses of heat

through the roof elements part of the snow


layer may melt and fall of the roof.
For attic roofs with good thermal insulation
ct=1, and a smaller value will be taken into
account only in special situations or if the
destination of the construction needs so.
- the roof geometry : coefficient = shape
coefficient for load at the roof level
This coefficient takes into account the
possibility of the nonuniform distribution of
snow load on the roof slopes due to any
conditions related to the roof geometry or
slopes.
The coefficient is established in codes,
for any distinct roof zone, function of the
slope and of the general configuration of
the roof..

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