A SIMULATION STUDY ON UNEVEN SNOW LOADS ON AN ARCH ROOF

The finite area element (FAE) method was used to study the uneven snow load distributions on an arched roof. First, a wind tunnel arch model with the scale ratio of 1:100 and the rise-span ratio of 0.125 was designed, the average wind speed on the roof was measured through wind tunnel experiment, and the average wind speed direction was determined by CFD numerical simulation. The snow distribution coefficient on the roof was then calculated using the FAE method of the wind-snow flux relation based on empirical formula. Second, the impacts of different wind speeds and wind attack angles on the snow distributions as well as the unbalanced snow loads on the roof were analyzed in detail. Third, the snow distribution coefficients of the FAE results, the code suggestion (GB50009-2012) and the CFD numerical simulation results based on two-phase flow were compared to verify the rationality of the FAE calculation results. Finally, some technical suggestions were proposed based on current research results, which was aiming at the perfection of the design code for snow loads.