The Canada Plan Service, a Canadian federal/provincial organization, promotes the transfer of technology through factsheets, design aids

and construction drawings that show how to plan and build modern farm structures and equipment for Canadian agriculture. For more information, contact your local provincial agricultural engineer or extension advisor.
WARNING This leaflet gives structural choices you must select to meet local climatic loads (wind, snow), soil-bearing capacity and other local con ditions. You must ensure that these requirements are met. Consult an engineer if you are not familiar with the details required.

D.I. Masse, J.A. Munroe and H.A. Jackson This leaflet describes the principles and construction details for buttresses used to windbrace stud-wall farm buildings. It considers both exterior and interior buttresses. Exterior buttresses work well for long single-storey buildings with a roof or ceiling diaphragm. Interior buttresses are practical and effective for two-storey buildings. Both types are easy to design and build.

roof is 65 and the upper roof 30. Unlike the 1:3 slope gable roof, the horizontal com ponents of wind loads on the lower leeward and windward rafters do not cancel, but indeed are additive.

FIGURE 2 WIND PRESSURE COEFFICIENTS (Cp Cg) FOR TWO-STOREY GAMBREL ROOF BUILDING

DESIGN
Wind blowing across a building applies pressure perpendicular to all the building's surfaces. The Supplement to the National Building Code of Canada, 1990 (SNBCC) gives wind loads for locations across Canada and guidelines for determining design wind forces for various building shapes. Figure 1 shows the wind pressure coefficients for gable roof buildings of one and two storeys.

FIGURE 1 WIND PRESSURE COEFFICIENTS (Cp Cg) FOR ONE- AND TWO-STOREY GABLE ROOF BUILDINGS, ROOF SLOPE 1:3

For low-human-occupancy farm buildings, the Canadian Farm Building Code 1990 permits design based on the 1 /10 hourly wind pressures given in the SNBCC. The wind force that a buttress can resist depends on buttress spacing. This leaflet considers the most critical case - only one buttress at the building's midlength. In plan view, this is equivalent to a twospan beam with the maximum horizontal reaction occurring at the buttress, not at the endwall. Figure 3 shows the design wind loads for a single-storey gable roof barn, the distribution of the shear force and bending moment resisted by the roof or ceiling diaphragm, and the horizontal reaction force the buttress must supply. The net horizontal force of the wind acting on the roof is assumed to be zero. Figures 4 and 5 show the forces acting on interior buttresses for two storey gambrel and gable roof buildings. The buttress footing dimensions are based on a soil bearing capacity of 100 kPa (2000 psf).

CONSTRUCTION
Figure 6 gives buttress member sizes and shows how the exterior buttress is attached to a single-storey gable roof building. In this situation, you only need buttresses on one side of the building; pick the side that will interfere least with normal operations. Double trusses at each buttress transfer the forces from the roof diaphragm to the buttress. Additional lateral bracing is needed under the truss lower chords if there is no ceiling. For simplicity, the figure shows only one buttress size; this is adequate to resist the wind load indicated to a maximum buttress spacing of 36 m (120 ft).

The SNBCC does not give coefficients specifically for two-storey gambrel roof buildings; however, using roof slope, you can estimate these. For example, in Figure 2, the lower

FIGURE 3 FORCE, SHEAR AND MOMENT DISTRIBUTIONS ALONG A BUILDING, AND HORIZONTAL BUTTRESS REACTION

FIGURE 4 FORCES RESISTED BY INTERIOR BUTTRESSES USED AS WINDBRACING FOR TWOSTOREY GAMBREL ROOF BUILDINGS; FIGURE 2 SHOWS ASSUMED WIND PRESSURE COEFFICIENTS

F = qCeB(0.43H + 0.87L1, sine1 + 0.66L2 sine2) F = Unfactored buttress force q = Reference velocity pressure B = Buttress spacing A = Column spacing

FIGURE 5 FORCE RESISTED BY INTERIOR BUTTRESSES USED AS WINDBRACING FOR TWOSTOREY POULTRY BROODER OR BROILER BARNS

With knee brace F = qCeB (Cp l Cg 1 + Cp 2 Cg 2) (H1/2 + H 2) With diaphragm F = qCeB (Cp 1 Cg l + Cp 2 Cg 2) [(H1 + H2)/2] F = Unfactored buttress force q = Reference velocity pressure B = Buttress spacing

Figure 7 shows construction details for an interior buttress made from a steel column and brace as used in a two-storey gambrel roof dairy barn. It is assumed that if the interior buttress spacing is less than 4.8 m (16 ft), conventional mow floor construction serves adequately as a diaphragm to
Unfactored buttress force F = 0.625 Ce HBq (Cp 1 Cg 1 + Cp 2 Cg 2)

transfer the wind load to the buttresses. In a typical two-storey barn, you can incorporate this buttress system at every steel column supporting the main beams, or at every other column. The buttresses should coincide with stall partitions so they won't interfere with space or operations. Figure 8 shows an alternative that will windbrace the lower storey of a two-storey gable roof building. The buttress

buttress (portal frame) does not interfere with barn operations. The upper storey could be windbraced using a diaphragm roof or ceiling, or with kneebraces.

REFERENCE
Masse, D.I. and J.A. Munroe, Buttresses as a windbracing alternative for single and multi-storey agricultural buildings, trans. of the ASAE, 5(4):583-588, 1989

FIGURE 6

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF EXTERIOR BUTTRESSES

1 2

15M horizontal rebars @ 300 mm (1'-0") o.c. 15M L-shaped vertical rebars, 800 mm (2'-8") long, @ 300 mm (1'-0") o.c.

15M vertical rebars, 1100 mm (3'-4") long, @ 300 mm (1-0") o.c., tied to 2

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12

15M vertical rebars @ 500 mm (1'-8") o.c., over a distance of 4800 mm (16'-0") 15M horizontal rebars @ 500 mm (1'-8") o.c., over a distance of 4800 mm (16'-0") 15M horizontal rebars, 1100 mm (3'-4") long, @ 450 mm (1'-6") o.c., both ways 15M horizontal rebars, at outer edge of wall footing 19.5 mm (3/4") diameter anchor bolt, 900 mm (3'-0") long, four per connection 12.7 mm (1/2") steel plate, drill for 8, weld to 10; coat with epoxy paint 88.9 x 88.9 x 6.35 mm (3 1 /2" x 3 1 /2" x 1 /4") square steel tubing, weld joints all around; coat with epoxy paint three 6.35 x 140 x 400 mm (1 /4" x 5 1 /2" x 16") steel plates, site drill for nails after installing trusses, weld to 12 @ 45 mm (1 3/4") o.c. to suit as saddle for double truss; coat with epoxy paint 6.35 x 101.6 x 275 mm (1 /4" x 4" x 11") steel plate, weld to 10; coat with epoxy paint

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

100 mm (4") galvanized spiral nails, 10 nails from each side; clinch nails double truss at buttress roof purlins @ 600 mm (2'-0") o.c., maximum blocking between purlins to transfer diaphragm shear force to roof trusses at buttress location (see M-9310) prefinished steel roofing 38 x 89 x 4800 mm (2 x 4 x 16') web stiffener 38 x 89 mm (2 x 4) lower chord stiffeners @ 600 mm (2' 0") o.c. or add ceiling Max. allowable 1 /10 hourly wind pressure (kPa)

Buttress spacing (B) m (ft)

36 (120)

0.64

FIGURE 7 CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF INTERIOR BUTTRESSES AS USED IN A TWO-STOREY GAMBREL ROOF DAIRY BARN

1 2 3 4 5

concrete footing, 1200 rnm (4'-0") wide 15M horizontal rebars @ 300 mm (1'-0") o.c., both ways 152 x 152 M W 18.7 x M W 18.7 (6 x 6 x 6/6) wire mesh, 2400 mm (8'-0") around column 19.5 mm diameter x 400 mm (3/4" x 1'-4") anchor bolts, two per connection 12.7 mm (1 /2") steel plate, drill for 4, weld to 6; coat with epoxy paint epoxy p

6 7 8 9 10

76.2 x 76.2 x 7.95 mm (3" x 3" x 5/16") square steel tubing, @ 2400 mm (8'-0") o.c.; coat with epoxy paint 12.5 x 150 mm (1/2" x 6") steel plate, width to match main beam, weld to 6; coat with epoxy paint 12.5 x 150 x 200 mm (1/2" x 6" x 8") steel plate, drill for 9, weld to 7; coat with epoxy paint 16 mm diameter x 150 mm (5/8" x 6") steel bolt continuous main beam, designed to carry applied loads (upper floor dead and live loads)

11 12

13 14

floor joists, double at each buttress, lapped at beam 3 x 150 x 150 x 112 mm (10 gauge x 6" x 6" x 4 1 /2") galvanized steel angle, pre-drill for nails; one at each floor joist over full length of building eight 102 mm (4") spiral nails per angle leg; clinch except at double joist 19 mm (3/4") plywood flooring

Column spacing (A) m (ft) 2.4 (8) 2.4 (8)

Buttress spacing (B) m (ft) 2.4 (8) 4.8 (16)

Max. allowable 1 /10 hourly wind pressure (kPa)__ 0.64 0.32___

Building width assumed up to 14 m (46 ft)

FIGURE 8 CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF INTERIOR BUTTRESSES AS USED TO WINDBRACE THE LOWER STOREY OF A TWO-STOREY GABLE ROOF BUILDING

1 2 3 4 5

concrete footing, 900 mm (3'-0") square 10M horizontal rebars @ 300 mm (1'-0") o.c., both ways 152 x 152 M W 18.7 x M W 18.7 (6 x 6 x 6/6) wire mesh, 2400 mm (8'-0") around column 19.5 mm diam. x 400 mm (3/4" x 1'-4") anchor bolts, two per connection 15.9 mm (5/8") steel plate, drill for 4, weld to 6; coat with epoxy paint

6 7 8

76.2 x 76.2 x 7.95 mm (3" x 3" x 5/16") square steel tubing, welded together @ 2400 or 3600 mm (8'-0" or 12'-0") o.c.; coat with epoxy paint 9.53 x 200 x 200 mm (3/8" x 8" x 8") steel gusset on both sides, weld all around; coat with epoxy paint 12.5 x 150 mm (1 /2" x 6") steel plate, width to match main beam, weld to 6 and 7; coat with epoxy paint

9 10 11 12 13

12.5 x 150 x 200 mm (1/2" x 6" x 8") steel plate, drill for 10, weld to 8; coat with epoxy paint 16 mm diameter x 150 mm (5/8" x 6") steel bolt continuous beam, designed to carry applied loads (upper floor dead and live loads) floor joists, double at each buttress, lapped at beam 3 x 150 x 150 x 112 mm (10 gauge x 6" x 6" x 4 1 /2") galvanized steel angle, pre-drill for nails; one at each floor joist over full length of building four 102 mm (4") spiral nails per angle leg

15

19 mm (3/4") plywood flooring Max. allowable 1/10 hourly wind pressure (kPa)___ 0.64 0.42___

Portal frame spacing m (ft) 2.4 (8) 3.6 (12)

14