Experimental Testing of Full-scale Retrofitted Metal Deck System Under Wind Uplift

Abstract

Despite its longevity, a metal roof will require reroofing or retrofitting when it displays a functional deficiency or reaches the end of its service life. Retrofitting using a thermoplastic olefin (TPO) membrane installed over the existing metal roof is a common solution due to its durability, lightweight, and ease of installation. During its service life, the retrofitting TPO will be subjected to high-speed wind events. This manuscript presents experimental testing of three 10 ft. x 20 ft. (3 m x 6 m) metal roofs retrofitted using TPO membranes. The main parameter that was investigated is the spacing and pattern of the fasteners used to fix the membranes to their metal roofs. Three transverse spacing of 1 ft. (0.3 m), 2 ft. (0.6 m), and 3 ft. (0.9 m) staggered were used between the fasteners; two roofs had regular spacing between the fasteners while the third one had a staggered pattern. The roofs were subjected to uniform wind uplift pressure until failure occurred. The failure mode in all three retrofitted roofs was TPO membrane rupture at the fastener barbed plates. No fastener failure was observed in any roof. Therefore, the ultimate pressure of the roofs was not proportional to the tributary areas of the fasteners. The three roofs failed at ultimate pressures of 1.12 psi (7.7 kPa), 0.81 psi (5.6 kPa), and 0.41 psi (2.9 kPa) for fastener spacing of 1 ft. (0.3 m), 2 ft. (0.6 m), and 3 ft. (0.9 m) staggered respectively.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Comments

Greater Alliance Foundation, Grant None

Keywords and Phrases

Buildings; Full-scale; Membrane; Metals; Retrofitting; Roofs; Single-ply; Wind uplift

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2352-0124

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 May 2025

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