Wind Resistance of Standing Seam Roofs and Their Interaction with Roof-Mounted Solar Panels

This presentation initially took place at IIBEC's 2022 International Convention and Trade Show in Orlando, Florida.

Standing seam roofs (SSRs) behave somewhat differently than other roof coverings when exposed to wind uplift pressures. Their design came under closer scrutiny after Hurricane Andrew struck south Florida in 1992. Since then, our knowledge of SSR wind resistance has increased considerably, such that SSRs can now be properly tested, designed, and installed to meet relatively high wind design pressures, including in perimeter and corner roof areas.    This presentation explains that external seam clamps or wind clamps can substantially increase the wind uplift resistance of an SSR if they properly fit the seam profile and are installed correctly. They may change the failure mode of the SSR, and the limiting factor of the enhanced assembly will likely be the strength of the internal clip. When securing solar panels to an SSR, it is important that the clamps used to secure them be attached to each deck rib to follow the wind load path of the SSR design and prevent overloading internal clips

Richard J. Davis, PE
FM Global | Manomet, MA

Richard J. Davis has been working in loss prevention engineering for 47 years. He has written and revised a number of FM Global data sheets on construction, including the ones for standing seam roofs and roof-mounted solar panels. Davis has also served on many external committees working on codes and standards development, including the ASCE 7 wind load subcommittee for the last three revision cycles. He was task committee chair for the chapter on roof-mounted equipment during the latest ASCE 7 revision, and he contributed to the 2017 revision of the Structural Engineers Association of California’s Wind Design for Solar Arrays (SEAOC PV2). Davis has given numerous presentations on wind design, both internally for FM Global wind specialists and externally to various roofing associations.