ASCE 7-10 Snow Load Provision

Objectives
Introduce changes in the ASCE 7-10
Snow Load provisions
Present reasoning behind changes
Answer Frequently Asked Questions
Answer audience questions (hopefully)

SEAoO Conference
September 2011
Michael ORourke PE , Ph.D.
Rensselaer

Outline

Minimum Roof Snow Load

Minimum Roof Snow Load

Thermal Factor
Unbalanced Load
Drift Load on Adjacent Roof
Parapet Wall & RTU Drift
Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof
Ponding
FAQs

Clarification
Scenario- roof
load right after
heavy snow w/o
wind
No time for
thermal, no wind
Roof load Pr= Pg
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Minimum Roof Snow Load

Pm = Is Pg

Pg < 20 psf

Pm = 20 Is

Pg > 20 psf

Minimum Roof Snow Load

After the single heavy snow storm eventually the wind blows , thermal
effects have time to act, and we then
get Ps on the roof.
This minimum roof load is a separate
uniform load case. It need not be
used in determining or in combination
with drift, sliding, unbalanced or
partial loads

The 20 psf value is our estimate of the

maximum size of a single heavy
snow storm

Outline

Thermal Factor

Minimum Roof Snow Load

Thermal Factor
Unbalanced Load
Drift Load on Adjacent Roof
Parapet Wall & RTU Drift
Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof
Ponding
FAQs

Usually the roof snow load w/o drifting

is less than the ground snow load ,
but with special circumstances pr>pg

Thermal Factor

Thermal Factor

In the SEAW report, biggest differences

were for Freezer buildings going
from hot to cold
Roof Heated Bldg- hot air below
Ground- warm earth below
Roof Open Air Bldg- ambient air below
Roof Freezer Bldg- cold air below

In ASCE 7-10 we now have a new Ct

factor
Unheated and open air Ct = 1.2
Structures intentionally kept below
freezing Ct = 1.3
As a result , for freezer w/ Is=1.0 and
Ce = 1.2 , flat roof load > pg

Outline

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Unbalanced Loads-Gable Roof

Minimum Roof Snow Load

Thermal Factor
Unbalanced Load
Drift Load on Adjacent Roof
Parapet Wall & RTU drift
Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof
Ponding
FAQs

Upper Limit Roof Slope - change

Lower Limit Roof Slope - simplify
Small Eave to Ridge Distance -change

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Unbalanced- Upper Limit Slope

Unbalanced-Upper Limit Slope

In 7-05 upper
limit slope based
on Cs chart
Unbalance load
for roof slope up
to 70
Angle of repose
for drift same as
fresh fallen snow?

Observations by
TTEA- unbalance
for 6 on 12 & less
Consistent with
max slope of roof
step drifts 1V:2H
Seems drifted
snow has smaller
angle of repose
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Unbalanced-Upper Limit Slope

Unbalanced Loads-Gable Roof

In ASCE 7-10 we were a bit conservative

For hip and gable roofs with slope
exceeding 7 on 12 (30.2)unbalanced
snow loads are not required to be
applied

Upper Limit Roof Slope

Lower Limit Roof Slope
Small Eave to Ridge Distance

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Unbalanced-Lower Limit Slope

Unbalanced-Lower Limit Slope

In 7-05 lower limit was complicated slopes less than larger of 70/W +0.5
and 1/2 on 12
Based upon observed occurrence

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Vertical line
- on 12 limit
Horizontal line - roof too small to care?
Transition
curve fit ?

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Unbalanced-Lower Limit Slope

Unbalanced-Lower Limit Slope

on 12 seems to
be a physical limit
Venturi tube has
angle < 4 avoids
separation
on 12 has angle
> 4 separation ,
wind shadow &
drift

In ASCE 7-10 lower limit relation

simplified
For hip and gable roofs with a slope
less than 2.38 (1/2 on 12)
unbalanced snow loads are not
required to be applied

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Unbalanced Loads-Gable Roof

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Unbalanced-Small Width

Upper Limit Roof Slope

Lower Limit Roof Slope
Small Eave to Ridge Distance

Fig 7-9 originally

for roof steps
lu restriction not a
issue for steps
Fig 7-9 now also
used for gables
lu=25 ft seemed
arbitrary
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Unbalanced-Small Width

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Unbalanced-Small Width

The question of whether the lu=25 ft

should apply to gable roof drifts is
complicated by the following issues
Theoretical issue- Fig 7-9 is empirical
relation based on case histories with
a mean value of lu=172 ft
Practical issue-relation gives negative
values for low Pg and small W=lu
hence some limit needed
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For bldgs with small W , JC/MOR method

was used to simulate max annual drifts
for a # of locations & winters
Big differences between upper Midwest &
Pacific NW
However results suggest that For W
less than 20 ft, use 20 ft in Fig 7-9

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Outline

Drift Load on Adjacent Roof

Minimum Roof Snow Load

Thermal Factor
Unbalanced Load
Drift Load on Adjacent Roof
Parapet Wall & RTU Drift
Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof
Ponding
FAQs

In ASCE 7-05 a
truncated drift
required if lower
adjacent roof
within 20 ft. of
higher level roof
In ASCE 7-05
roofs A,B & C all
get drifts
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Drfit Load on Adjacent Roof

Drift Load on Adjacent Roof

In reality drift
only if lower roof
in wind shadow of
upper roof
In ASCE 7-10 we
assume a 1(V) to
6(H) wind shadow
after Tablers work
on snow fences

Leeward drift if
s < 20 & s < 6h
(in wind shadow)
Drift height
smaller of hd and
(6h-s)/6
Drift length
smaller of 6hd
and (6h-s)
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Drift Load on Adjacent Roof

Outline

Windward drift if
s < 20
Truncated drift
hd windward
drift height
based on fetch
for lower roof

Minimum Roof Snow Load

Thermal Factor
Unbalanced Load
Drift Load on Adjacent Roof
Parapet Wall & RTU Drift
Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof
Ponding
FAQs
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Parapet Wall & RTU Drift

Parapet Wall & RTU Drift

In ASCE 7-05
upwind fetch for
parapet wall
clear
In ASCE 7-05
upwind fetch for
RTU unclear

In reality for North wind Drift North of

RTU is windward drift w/ fetch = LN
Drift South of RTU is leeward drift w/
effective fetch < LN

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Parapet Wall & RTU Drift

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Outline

ASCE 7-10 clarifies and simplifies the

RTU case by specifying windward drift
for both sides
For roof projections ,lu shall be taken
equal to the greater of the length of
the roof upwind or downwind of the
projection

Minimum Roof Snow Load

Thermal Factor
Unbalanced Load
Drift Load on Adjacent Roof
Parapet Wall & RTU Drift
Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof
Ponding
FAQs
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Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof

Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof

Sliding load on
lower roof in 7-05
Surcharge taken
as 0.4pfW
Applies to slopes
greater than
on 12(slippery) or
2 on 12(non-slip)

New provision
Sliding load on
adjacent if s<15
and h>s (45
sliding shadow)
Load pro-rated
0.4pfW(15-s)/15

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Outline

Ponding

Minimum Roof Snow Load

Thermal Factor
Unbalanced Load
Drift Load on Adjacent Roof
Parapet Wall & RTU Drift
Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof
Ponding
FAQs

In ASCE 7-05 a
ponding analysis
was required
only for roof
slopes less than
on 12
Envisions a free
draining eave
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Ponding

Outline

New provision in
7-10 account for
impounded water
in susceptible
bays w/ any
slope
Problems arise
w/o SE/ME/Arch
interaction

Minimum Roof Snow Load

Thermal Factor
Unbalanced Load
Drift Load on Adjacent Roof
Parapet Wall & RTU Drift
Sliding Load on Adjacent Roof
Ponding
FAQs
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FAQ #1 Elevated RTU

FAQ # 2 Combined Loads

For a new heavy RTU on a large ,

existing roof , how can I avoid snow
drift loads adjacent to the unit?

For the step sketched below should sliding

and drifting loads be combined?

For normal sized RTUs( not billboards)

specify a 2 foot gap between the
bottom of the dunnage/framework and
the top of the balanced snow
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FAQ # 2 Combined Loads

FAQ # 2 Combined Loads

No in ASCE 7 both the drift load and the

sliding load are intended to be 50 year MRI
events . While it is possible to have some
drift and some sliding simultaneously on a
roof , that load combination is not
envisioned in ASCE 7. The return period for
the simultaneous occurrence of the 50 year
drift and the 50 year sliding load would be
much larger than the 50 year MRI
envisioned by the ASCE 7 Provisions.

If the two events were completely

independent , the return period would be
2500 years. Actually r neither 1 nor 0.
For a leeward drift (wind from left to right )
, the sliding snow and the drifted snow
come from the same source area- the
upper level roof.
For a step , ASCE 7 is clear in that the
larger of the windward and leeward applies
provisions based on observation.

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FAQ # 3 Awing Drift

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FAQ # 3 Awing Drift

A design load for a small awing over a

doorway in the end wall of a tall gable
seems excessive . Should it be
designed as a roof step ?

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FAQ # 3 Awing Drift

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FAQ # 3 Awing Drift

If h is large , one
expects smaller
drifts due to lower
trapping efficiency
If the horizontal
extent of the awing
is small drift
limited by angle of
repose of drifted
snow.1:4 shown
typical but not
conservative

Yes failures have

been observed for
cases where h
is moderate ( ~5
to 15 ft.) .

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FAQ # 4 Odd Drift Geometries

FAQ # 4 Odd Drift Geometries

ASCE 7 specifies drifts for simple

geometries based on the size of the
upwind snow source area ( fetch and
ground snow )
For more complex geometries, a
reasonable approach is to match the
cross-sectional area of the odd
shaped drift to that for a roof step
with the same fetch and ground load

Approach used for

gable roof drifts in
7-05
Area for roof step
drift is A = 2(hd)
For a triangular
gable drift with a
1:S slope , areas
match
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FAQ # 4 Odd Drift Geometries

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FAQ # 4 Odd Drift Geometries

Roof step with a

sloping lower level
roof
hd is drift height for
windward or leeward
roof step with same
fetch and ground load
Applies for slopes less
than 3:12 for typical
angle of repose

Step with nonvertical separation

wall
hd is height for
windward or leeward
drift at step with same
fetch and ground load
Applies for slopes
steeper than 3:12 for
typical angle of repose

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FAQ # 5 Drift at Addition

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FAQ#5 Addition-Snow Bay

For an addition adjacent to an

existing lower lever roof , how do I
avoid the roof step drift ?
There are three approaches ; snow bay,
new walls to trap and/or shield snow,
and exotic measures. Some work well
, others not so.
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Leeward &
windward drift on
new roof !
Lower head room
for portion of
addition "
From a structural
engineering
standpoint this
works
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FAQ # 5 Addition- New Walls

FAQ # 5 Addition- Trapping

Wall or step traps a
portion of upwind
snow , even w/
excess drift space
available
Trapping efficiency
typically about
50% at leeward
step, less at
windward

Fixes include new wall @ roof step

(trap) or far upwind wall (shield)
Trapping- some snow upwind of the
wall is trapped by the wall
Shielding- all of the snow for a
distance downwind of the wall,
shielded by the wall

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FAQ # 5 Addition-Shielding

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FAQ # 5 Wall Implementation

Wall will shield all

snow within a
certain distance
downwind of wall
10 ho rule is
conservative for Ce
factor
Measurements
suggests 5 ho is
conservative for
shielding

One proposed fix

involved a number
of shielding walls
Still have windward
drift
Due to cost , owner
decided to
reinforce existing
roofs
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FAQ # 5 Exotic Measures

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FAQ # 5 Exotic Measures

Reduce space for drift accumulation with

light geofoam blocks or a false roof

Set of baffles which redirect wind and

minimize leeward drift. May have difficulty
convincing the local code official since
approach isnt codified. Still have windward

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ASCE 7-10 Snow Load Provision

Additional questions either
Contact M. OR at orourm@rpi.edu
Buy Snow Loads A Guide to the
Snow Load Provisions of ASCE 710
ASCE Press

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