About the author  ⁄ F. Dirk Heidbrink, P.E.

F. Dirk Heidbrink is an Associate Principal with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. He can be reached at fheidbrink@wje.com.

Heavy snow accumulations on the roof of an elementary school in central Oregon in January 2017 caused structural damage to six wood roof trusses that span approximately 75 feet. The trusses were found to have some bolted connection failures at heel plates, as well as three split and fractured web elements also associated with their bolted connections. Snow load on the roof was reportedly around 40 pounds per square foot (psf), while the trusses were initially designed for 30 psf.

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STRUCTURE magazine