Experimental and theoretical analysis on wind uplift resistance of SSARS with novel clamped supports

To address the inadequate wind uplift bearing resistance of metal roof systems with T-shaped supports and the construction complexity of metal roof systems with rolled edge support, a novel clamped vertical seam support was proposed to enhance the wind uplift performance of standing seam roof systems. Wind uplift tests on three roof assemblies were conducted to systematically investigate the failure modes, load-transfer mechanisms, and wind uplift bearing capacity of the standing seam aluminum roof systems (SSARS) with clamped support. Experimental results demonstrated the wind uplift bearing capacity of the proposed system reached 13.23∼15.40 kPa, exhibiting a significant enhancement compared to conventional systems. A numerical model validated by test data was developed to analyze the influence of key parameters, including panel width, longitudinal support spacing, and panel thickness, on the wind uplift bearing capacity. The results indicated that the primary failure modes involved local buckling of the roof panel, straightening of the upper curved segment of the support, disengagement at the lower base, and standing seam opening. The wind uplift capacity increased with decreasing longitudinal support spacing and roof panel width, and increasing roof panel thickness. Based on experimental and numerical results, the proposed formula for calculating the wind uplift bearing capacity of the SSARS with novel clamped support demonstrated high prediction accuracy with a mean ratio of 0.999 and a coefficient of variation of 0.053, providing a reliable reference for practical engineering applications.