Internal pressure on a pole building
Internal pressure on a pole building
(OP)
Hi folks. I'm looking for qualitative answers on this one, nothing quantitative. This regards typical warehouse type buildings made of steel beams with sheet metal walls. Assume the building is uninsulated such as a metal pole building, roughly 30 feet high with a flat cement floor 40 x 60 feet. For 'typical' structures built and installed in the south east US:
- Can they withstand higher external pressure (ie: from wind) than internal pressure? I'm thinking they can, simply because the metal walls must press against the steel structure when external pressure or wind is creating the loading but when internal pressure is put to the walls, then only the strength of the fasteners are providing the restraint to hold the skin on. Assume this building is built to code to handle typical wind loading.
- What internal pressure can such a typical building be expected to withstand? For the sake of clarity, please consider that there is no external wind, only a pressure internal to the building caused for example, by a very large volume of air being vented into the inside of this building.





RE: Internal pressure on a pole building
I'm a bit confused by your description...on one hand you talk about pressurization from wind and on another you discuss internal pressure from venting pressurization. Which is it?
Is your concern reasonable? Not if I understand your premise. Damage is not likely in your scenario.
RE: Internal pressure on a pole building
RE: Internal pressure on a pole building
RE: Internal pressure on a pole building
Wouldn't an external pressure due to wind of 3" water on one side of the structure be considered 'not unusual' and wouldn't that be covered by typical building practice?
If the internal pressure were 3" water on all sides including the roof due to air being vented into the building, do you think the building would need to be specially designed to handle that amount of internal pressure? If so, why wouldn't a building designed to handle significant external pressure not be capable of handling this low of an internal pressure?
RE: Internal pressure on a pole building
RE: Internal pressure on a pole building
RE: Internal pressure on a pole building
Your assumption is incorrect. The building may be designed for a wind load less than 15 psf. To give you a frame of reference, 10 psf is the minimum wind load per ASCE 7-05, Minimum Design loads for Buildings and Other Structures. The design wind pressure might be higher than 15 psf, but it depends on many factors including building location (based on expected wind speed in the region), exposure (surrounding terrain with closely spaced buildings or wooded areas have less exposure), height above the ground (pressure increases with height), and topography (top of a hill may have higher pressure). Also, certain building elements are subject to higher loads (corners, roof overhangs, rooftop equipment, etcetera).
RE: Internal pressure on a pole building
RE: Internal pressure on a pole building