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Analysis of a roof failure attributed to wind effects

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Abstract
During a thunderstorm the middle 1/3 of the roof of the Kansas City Arena collapsed. An extensive investigation of the failure revealed that the high-strength A490 bolts connecting the roof of the arena to the supporting external space frames had been subjected to fatigue damage. Subsequently, an analytical study was conducted to examine how wind induced vibrations may have contributed to a fatigue failure of the bolts. From a dynamic analysis of the vortex induced across-wind response and the gust indcued along-wiond response, the resulting stress levels in the critical A490 bolt were determined. A fracture revealed that the defect probably would not have resulted in a brittle fracture of the bolt.
Date
0/1991
Author(s)
Harold Salane; Paul Lin
Page(s)
68-
Keyword(s)
roof failure; wind effect; fatigue damage; dynamic analysis


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