Estimating Snow Loads on Roofs

Estimation of Loads 3-15
CE 321.3 Structural Systems and Materials

3.6 Snow Loads (NBC Cl. 4.1.6)
See also NBC 2010 Structural Commentary G, and Appendix C of the NBCC
2010

3.6.1 General Description

A structure must be designed to support the greatest weight of snow that is likely
to accumulate on it during its design life. Of course, this amount varies greatly with
geographic location, and depends not only on the annual snowfall, but also on such
factors as the shape of the structure, the exposure to wind, and proximity to other
structures. The NBCC 2010 takes these factors into account and provides designers
with a clear procedure to estimate design loads for snow.

Ground Snow Loads

The measured depth of snow on the ground is the basis for the calculation of
snow loads in the NBCC 2010. The annual maximum depth of snow has been
measured at over 1600 locations in Canada, and the maximum annual values are
used to predict the depth which has an annual probability of exceedence of 1-in-50.
Appendix C of NBCC 2010 (Climatic and Seismic Information for Building Design in
Canada) lists ground snow loads at numerous locations across Canada, determined
by the following procedure:
The 1-in-50 year snow depth is estimated for a given location.
An appropriate snow density is selected for that location.
The product of the snow depth and snow density gives the maximum expected
ground snow load.

In addition to this maximum snow load, the possibility of an increased load due to
rainfall occurring when snow is present must also be taken into account. This
allowance is based on the maximum 1-in-50 year rainfall over a 24 hour period that is
likely to occur during the three month period when the snow loads are at their
maximum value.
Snow Loads on Roofs

The snow load on the roof a structure differs from the ground snow load due to:
due to wind,
as a result of thermal losses through the roof, and
of the snow on sloping roofs.

These factors generally lead to a lower average snow load on a roof relative to
the ground snow load. However, they can also lead to very high snow loads in
specific locations, particularly due to drifting and redistribution due to wind.

Drifting and Redistribution Due to Wind:
Erosion and deposition of snow by the wind is strongly influenced by the
presence of turbulent eddies in the windstream. Any obstructions that alter the
path of flow or generate turbulent eddies will influence snow deposition patterns.
In general, snow redistribution is governed by the following principles:
Snow is eroded in regions of accelerated airflow and deposited in stagnant
regions.
Once in the airstream, snow is transported nearly horizontally near the
ground or the roof surface from where it was picked up until it is deposited.
Therefore, snow tends to drift to areas of equal or lower elevation but not
upwards. As a result, the amount of snow available for drifting on any roof
level is restricted to the snow that was originally on that level or on roofs at a
higher level.

Substantial snow drifts can build up in the following locations:
Around such as parapet walls and fences (in this
case, the height of the drift is limited to the height of the obstruction)
On adjacent to taller buildings or building sections
In formed by sawtooth or multiple folded plate roofs
Several typical snow deposition patterns are illustrated below.
(a) Snow redistribution around a parapet wall

(b) Snow deposition around a solid fence

Section A-A
Wake -
Deposition
Section B-B
Acceleration -
Erosion
Plan View of Roof
Snow
Elevation
Contours
Wind
Clear of
Snow
A A
B B
(c) Snow drifting from an adjacent roof

Roofs with a slope of 10 percent or greater periodically tend to shed part or all
of their snow load as a result of sliding. Lower roof surfaces adjacent to sloping
roofs must be designed for the surcharge of snow load caused by the sliding.
Sliding snow can also exert a on parapet walls
and other vertical surfaces. Sloping roofs adjacent to areas accessible to the
public can produce dangerous conditions and should be avoided or the effects
mitigated.
(d) Snow deposition in roof valleys

Upper Roof
Level
Lower Roof
Level
Flat Roof Load
Drift Surcharge
Load
(e) Unbalanced snow loads on hip or arched roofs

Large unbalanced loads can result from the deposition of snow on the leeward
side of gable or arched roofs. These unbalanced loads (shown above) can be
critical, particularly for arches and arched trusses.

Snow Density:
Although the density of snow varies considerably, the following values are
commonly used for design purposes:
i) Freshly Fallen Snow: Range = 0.5 to 1.2 kN/m
3

Typical Value = 1.0 kN/m
3

ii) Mature Ground Snow: Range = 1.0 to 4.0 kN/m
3

Typical Value = 2.0 kN/m
3

iii) Snow on Roof: Range = 1.0 to 5.0 kN/m
3

Typical Value = 2.5 to 3.0 kN/m
3

Gable roof
Arch roof
3.6.2 Snow Load Provisions in NBCC 2010 (Cl. 4.1.6)

The specified snow load, S, acting on a roof or other surface is calculated by the
following formula:

( ) | |
r a s w b s s
S C C C C S I S + =

where: I
s
= Importance factor for snow load
S
s
= Ground snow load [kPa]
S
r
= Associated rain load [kPa]
C
b
= Basic snow load factor
C
w
= Wind exposure factor
= 1.0 in sheltered locations
= 0.75 in exposed locations
= 0.5 in exposed areas north of the tree line
C
s
= Slope factor
C
a
= Shape factor

Ground Snow Load: S
s

1-in-50 year ground snow load for the specified location
Given in Table C-2, Design Data, Appendix C, NBCC 2010

Associated Rain Load: S
r

The 1-in-50 year 24 hr. rainfall likely to occur simultaneously with the design
snow load (should not be confused with the design load for rain only, which is a
separate load case)
Given in Design Data table, Appendix C, NBCC 2010

Importance Factor for Snow Load: I
s

The importance factor for snow loads is as follows:
Importance Category
Importance Factor, I
s

ULS SLS
Low 0.8 0.9
Normal 1.0 0.9
High 1.15 0.9
Post-disaster 1.25 0.9

Increasing the importance factor for buildings classified in higher importance
categories when considering ultimate limit states (ULS) essentially increases the
return period for the design snow storm. That is, while buildings in the normal
importance category are designed for the 1-in-50 year snow storm, the use of a
higher importance factor for post-disaster buildings means that they are
designed for the 1-in-100 year snow storm, effectively reducing the probability of
failure for these buildings.

Decreasing the importance factor for buildings in the low importance category
and for serviceability limit states (SLS) essentially decreases the return period of
the design snow storm used for these cases. This is acceptable because the
consequences of failure are considered to be less severe than for more
important buildings at the ultimate limit state.

For serviceability limit states, the importance factor of 0.9 adjusts the return
period to 30 years (i.e. 1-in-30 year snow storm)

Basic Snow Load Factor: C
b

Accounts for the fact that snow loads on roofs tend to be lower than those on
the ground due to wind erosion, etc. Unless the roof is considered large (as
defined below), a value of 0.8 is assigned to C
b
. This value is based on a
national survey which compared roof and ground snow loads.

On larger flat roofs, the wind may not be as effective in eroding the snow due to
the large volumes involved. Therefore, the roof snow load may be greater than
80% of the basic ground snow load (as is implied by 8 . 0 =
b
C ). To account for
this possibility, C
b
is increased for large roofs as described below.

A roof is considered large when its characteristic length, l
c
, exceeds 70 m

c
l = 2w - ( w
2
/ l ) [m]
w = Smaller plan dimension of roof [m]
l = Larger plan dimension of roof [m]

When
c
l > 70 m, and C
w
= 1.0:
( )
2
30 0 . 1
c b
l C =

When
c
l > 200 m, and C
w
= 0.75 or 0.50:
( )
2
140 3 . 1
c b
l C =

For very large flat roofs, these expressions result in a value of 0 . 1 ~
w b
C C ,
implying that the roof snow load is equal to the ground snow load
1
.

For square roofs, the characteristic roof length
c
l is simply equal to the length of
one side of the roof ( l w l
c
= = ). For rectangular roofs,
c
l lies somewhere
between the shorter roof dimension w and the longer dimension l. Since
w l
c
2 if one side of a rectangular roof is much larger than the other ( w l>> ),
the characteristic length
c
l will only be large if both dimensions (w and l) are
large. This reflects the fact that snow can be effectively removed from the roof
by wind blowing perpendicular to the shorter roof dimension.

1
Irwin, P.A., Gamble, S.L., and Taylor, D.A. (1995). Effects of roof size, heat transfer, and
climate on roof loads: Studies for the 1995 NBC. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering,
Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 770-784.
Wind Exposure Factor: C
w

If a roof area is not shielded from the wind by any significant obstructions, the
amount of snow on the roof will be reduced by the erosion action of the wind.
In order to use a value for C
w
that is less than 1.0 (i.e. 0.75 or 0.5 north of the
treeline), the following conditions must be met:

i) A building must be in the Importance Categories.

ii) The building site must be , exposing the building to wind
from all directions, and remain so during its design life.
Open terrain:
level terrain
only scattered buildings, trees, or other obstructions
open water or shorelines along open water

iii) There must be no
on the roof within a distance equal to 10 times the difference between the
height of the obstruction and the design depth of snow from the area of the
roof that is being designed.
(Note: The basic [no drifts] design depth of snow is
s w b
B
S C C
d = ; where
= density of snow ~ 3.0 kN/m
3
)

iv) The load case considered does not involve the of
snow from adjacent surfaces, such as cases involving unbalanced snow
loads on gable and arch roofs.
b w s
B
C C S
d
=
Roof Slope Factor: C
s

The loss of snow due to sliding combined with more efficient drainage of melting
snow and rain tends to reduce the snow load on steep roofs as compared to
that on flatter roofs. The effects of roof slope are incorporated using the slope
factor, C
s
.

The value of C
s
depends on the angle of the roof slope, o , and is given in
NBCC 2010 Clause 4.1.6.2, sentences (5), (6), and (7):

i) Non-Slippery Roofing Systems: (shingles, tiles, etc.)
0 . 1 =
s
C for s30 o
0 . 0 =
s
C for >70 o
( ) = 40 70 o
s
C for s < 70 30 o

ii) Slippery Unobstructed Roofing Systems: (glass, metal, etc.)
0 . 1 =
s
C for s15 o
0 . 0 =
s
C for >60 o
( ) = 45 60 o
s
C for s < 60 15 o

A value of 0 . 1 =
s
C should be used for snow accumulations in roof valleys and
for accumulations due to snow sliding from adjacent roofs.

Shape Factor: C
a

The shape factor takes into account possible drifting and redistribution of snow
due to wind action. The factor depends on the of the roof
and the presence of any nearby .

Where appropriate for the shape of the roof, other values for C
a
should be
assigned to account for such factors as:
snow loads on gable, arched or curved roofs and domes
increased snow loads in
from adjacent or nearly adjacent higher level roofs
(i.e. within 5 m of the roof being considered)
increased non-uniform snow loads on areas adjacent to roof projections (e.g.
equipment, chimneys)
increased snow or ice loads due to snow sliding or drainage of melt water from
adjacent roofs

Suggested shape factors for non-flat roof profiles are provided in Structural
Commentary G:
Gable, flat, and shed roofs - Fig. G-1
Simple arches or curved roofs - Figs. G-2 & G3
Increased snow loads in roof valleys - Fig. G-4
Lower levels of adjacent or nearly adjacent roofs - Fig. G-5
Lower roofs adjacent to sloping upper roof - Fig. G-7
Areas adjacent to roof obstructions - Fig. G-8

Use of Figures in Commentary G:
At first glance, the calculations shown in the figures in Commentary G appear
very complicated or even without logical basis. However, further investigation
shows that the procedures are very logical and are based on the consideration of
the depths of snow likely to accumulate on roofs of different shapes.

Drift loads on lower level roofs adjacent to higher levels (Fig. G-5):
As an example of how the figures are applied, consider Fig. G-5, used to
calculate the drift load on a lower level roof adjacent to a higher level roof on the
same or nearby building.

Underlying assumptions:
Drift load is controlled by
i) between the lower and upper levels
ii) from the upper level
iii) the presence of on the upper level, which serve
to trap snow on the upper level and reduce drift loads on the lower level

The drift is triangular in shape and has a slope of 1:5 (vertical:horizontal)

A drift will not form if
i) the distance, a, between adjacent buildings is greater than
ii) the difference in height, h, between roof levels is less than

Estimating Snow Loads on Roofs

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Estimating Snow Loads on Roofs

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Estimation of Loads 3-15

CE 321.3 Structural Systems and Materials

You might also like