EFFECTS OF FLUCTUATING WIND UPLIFT LOADING ON THE PULL-OUT STRENGTH OF STEEL CLADDING SYSTEMS

摘要

During storms and hurricanes, local pull-through or pull-out failures occur prematurely at their screwed connections, which lead to severe damage to buildings and their contents. In recent times, the pull-out failures have become more critical in the design of steel cladding systems due to the increasing use of thin steel battens/purlins. Fluctuating wind uplift loading that occurs during hurricanes can cause further reduction to pull-out strength, but its effects are unknown. Therefore a series of cyclic tests was conducted on connections between steel battens made of different thicknesses and steel grades, and screw fasteners with varying diameter and pitch. This paper presents the details of these cyclic tests and the results.