SNOW LOAD FACTORS FOR LRFD

This critical examination of snow load factors for use in load and resistance factor design (LRFD), specifically considers the effects on structural reliability of the change in the basic ground load to roof load conversion factor from 0.8 to 0.7 and recent statistical data concerning the conversion factor. Conclusions drawn from the study are discussed. It was found that structures are less reliable than anticipated when the snow load combination controls the design; in fact, the reliability index is on the order of 1.63. The difficulty is discussed of developing simple models for extreme cumulative distribution functions from yearly data. Increasing the load factor for snow loads from 1.6 to 2.0 would result in a reliability index against failure due to snow loads of roughly 2.0.

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  • Accession Number: 00476268
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Sep 30 1988 12:00AM