Glass Roof Snow Load
Many of the newer greenhouses are utilizing sophisticated engineering designs like the scissor truss.
Glass roof snow load. Aluminum foam core roof glass or aluminum foam core wings center ridge beam gable roof option full screens lockset weather stripping fasteners for assembly caulking and installation manual. Rated with a wind load of 80 100 mph and a snow load of 30 lbs. The decision to shovel off a roof is a case by case decision he says. Snow load of a greenhouse is based on expected ground accumulation greenhouse roof slope whether the structure is a gutter connect or free standing greenhouse and if the greenhouse is heated or unheated during the time of snowfall.
Polycarbonate sheets are used extensively around the world in greenhouses roof glazing and daylighting applications. The engineer says to watch for very deep. Some of the older greenhouses use heavy cross ties to meet higher snow load requirements. More average snow may weigh 15 pounds per cubic foot and drifted compacted snow may weigh 20 pounds or more he notes.
Glass shelves that are 1 4th thick should not have brackets that are more than 2 4 inches apart. Obtain the recorded snow load the maximum load expected to accumulate on the ground for your area. Choose thicker glass for longer shelves as it can support more weight. Light fluffy snow may only weigh about seven pounds per cubic foot.
Roofs are under a lot of pressure. Typically for the uk the average design wind load is 1200 n m2 and the snow load 600n m2 however using the average may cause the glass to be over specified or even worse underspecified for the task. In order to stay intact and in place a roof must be able to resist loads both permanent and temporary that are pushing. In locations where snow loads or wind loads exceed the norm additional bracing or advanced technological designs can be used to create additional strength.
The design wind load can be calculated using bs6399 2. The importance of polycarbonate s high strength and impact resistance cannot be understated when considering snow capability flexibility under load or falling items that can impact the sheet like hail sliding snow and ice. Measure the horizontal distance from eaves to the ridge the point where the roof is tallest and record the result labelled as run for example consider a roof with a run of 12 2 metres 40 feet. Glass thickness between 3 8th and 5 8th can support heavier items compared to 1 4th thickness.
Tempered glass breaks into many small pieces when broken and usually never cracks. For low rise buildings an abbreviated method is in bs6262 3 2005. Glass weight load calculator. Tempered glass is stronger than standard glass this product is used most often for shelves some fireplaces and table tops.