Large scale testing for roof overhangs aerodynamic analysis using the Wall of Wind experimental facility

The Laboratory for Wind Engineering Research (LWER) of the Extreme Events Institute (EEI) at Florida International University (FIU) was commissioned by the Florida Building Commission / Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to investigate the wind-induced loads on roof overhangs of low-rise residential buildings. The large-scale experimental campaign was carried out at the Wall of Wind (WOW) Research Experimental Facility. The setup comprises of six 1:10 scaled model configurations (2 ft, 4 ft 6 ft inclined overhangs) and different roof slopes (4:12 and 6:12) of a low-rise hip roof building. Data in this project can be used for statistical analysis for roof overhangs of hip roof, or a comparison between large scale testing and small-scale testing, and a reference for studying the behavior of overhangs, walls and soffit for any other roof type rather than the hip roof. In addition, the relation between the soffits and the walls can be driven from the data by carrying out regression and correlation analyses using the peak pressure coefficient and pressure time history, respectively. This project is unique because it is the first time to conduct a large-scale testing to study the wind induced loads on roof overhangs. Moreover, the large-scale testing gave the privilege to install high resolution pressure taps for capturing the pressure all over the surface. The audiences are anyone interested in wind tunnel testing for components and cladding of low-rise buildings, building commissions, and structural engineers.