] [Thread] [Date] [Author]

[Roger Turk <73527.1356(--nospam--at)compuserve.com>]

Daryl Richardson's last sentence was most apropos:

. > Just use some caution.

Problems that I have seen with metal buildings include:

A metal building was being used for a community college vocational training 
building.  A wind storm picked up one corner of the building and moved it in 
about 10-feet.  No scratch marks on the concrete, so the corner column was 
lifted completely up and put down in its final location.  A.B's for next wind 
column were pulled from concrete and the column moved in a couple of feet.  
The next wind column stayed in place but base plate was bent at about a 45 
deg angle with the slab.  Purlins looked like "&".  The end of the building 
looked as if a giant hand gave it a karate chop.

Examination of the A.B. at the corner column showed that it had been burned 
off --- apparently the forms gave way during the concrete pour and the A.B. 
was not where it should have been.  There was no evidence that the A.B. had 
been replaced with anything.  Could not see the base plate to see if the hole 
had been left open or filled with something, someway, that represented an A.B.

A metal building used as an aircraft maintenance building had one end open.  
Span ~ 100 feet.  Wind came from the open end and lifted the sheeting off the 
roof, purlins again took the "&" shape, web members at knees torn.  
Apparently building supplied was designed as an enclosed building instead of 
an open structure.

A metal building with a "low-profile" roof (1/16"/ft slope) leaked whenever 
it rained.  The eave strut was much stiffer than purlins and the sheathing 
and prevented water from draining over the edge.  Roof sheathing and purlins 
deflected under the weight of the water and at one location a frame failed.

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