×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Vegetation Screen Loading?

Vegetation Screen Loading?

Vegetation Screen Loading?

(OP)
I have been asked by a client to design some attachments for a "vegetation screens" to a building. Problem is, I have no idea what to design these screens for. The project in question is located in the north east US and I imagine it can high wind loads as well as ice loads. I have some literature from a manufacturer located in CA that gives some anchorage loads, but I don't believe they apply in my instance as my screens are supported 100% by the building. Does anyone have any experience with these?

RE: Vegetation Screen Loading?

would you treat them like signage? Assume flat plate, with ice build up.

RE: Vegetation Screen Loading?

(OP)
That's the idea if I don't get any good information..... probably be a little conservative too. ASCE 7 ice buildup is 0.75 inches....yielding td=1.57 inches or 7.33 psf. The manufacturer has the design weight of the system as 2-4 psf with fully grown wet plants. Probably add the two together and go from there (maybe add a little bit more).

RE: Vegetation Screen Loading?

I've only had this on one other project before and I did exactly as you're proposing. I assumed it was solid for wind and ice loading and then added it to the weight given from the manufacturer. I just tried to be really conservative and then see how my sizes were affected. They weren't that unreasonable, so I just accepted the conservatism. Mine was on a balcony of a 4 story sky scraper, so it wasn't that big relative to the structure. I'm guessing yours must be quite sizable to inquire about it.

RE: Vegetation Screen Loading?

(OP)
Mike, I'm not designing the structure, but have rather been asked to look at the anchorage to the building. So, since that's all I'm suppose to do, I would like to make sure I get it right.

RE: Vegetation Screen Loading?

SteelPE:

The link has an engineering report that addresses many of the things your asking about. Also, as they point out, don't forget to account for irrigation piping and heads - if they're used.

Link

Regards,

DB

RE: Vegetation Screen Loading?

Sorry, I cannot help you with any advice, but the subject matter does remind me of the new building across from the university I once attended:



RE: Vegetation Screen Loading?

(OP)
DBronson,

That report is interesting, but it does not address this specific case as my system is a trellis system such that the plants will grow up the side of the building, so irrigation and piping will be kept to a minimum at the base of the trellis. I also find it odd that the report doesn't address ice build up on the system as that would add weight to the system that needs to be supported.

RE: Vegetation Screen Loading?

(OP)
As a follow up question, equation 10-2 of ASCE 7-05 is as follows:

Vi=PI*td*As

td=design ice thickness
As= surface area of one side of a flat plate or the projected area of complex shapes.

So for a flat plate of 168 square feet and an design thickness of 1.57 inches I am end up with a Vi=69 ft^3. Or 55.2 ft^3 for a vertical plate (what we have here).

My question is in regards to PI. If my shape is flat what do you include PI in the equation?

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources