Degree
Master of Engineering Science
Program
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Supervisor
Prof. A. A. El Damatty
Abstract
the sheathing and rafters, and toenail connections between the rafters and stud walls. However, these connections have poor resistance to uplifting forces, as occurs in high wind speed events, causing sheathing or roof-to-wall-connection (RTWC) failures. The improvements made to building codes after Hurricane Andrew affected only new construction, and the economic losses caused by roof failures in homes built prior to 1993 from Hurricane Katrina pointed to a need to retrofit older structures. This paper will investigate the design, analysis, and testing of a temporary cable-netting roof harness as an alternative to other relatively expensive and invasive retrofitting options. To do this, a non-linear finite element analysis (FEA) is performed to model a typical light-frame wood structure with the roof harness, which is then validated through test results. After, as a comparative study, scaled down versions of the structure with and without the roof harness are created and tested at the WindEEE facility using real wind load until failure to assess the efficacy of the retrofit system and validate the previously developed FEA model.
Recommended Citation
Rosenkrantz, Joshua D., "Numerical and Experimental Analysis of a Retrofit System for Light-Framed Wood Structures Under Wind Loading" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4884.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4884