ABRASION DAMAGE TO ROOFING MATERIALS DUE TO SLIDING SNOW

Abstract

This paper deals with abrasion damage to roofing materials caused by sliding snow on sloped roofs in a region receiving heavy snow. We tested abrasion of coated metal sheets due to sliding snow. From the test results, it became clear that three factors, namely the ratio of clay dust in roof snow, the snow load, and the snow sliding velocity, exert great influence on the abrasion. We calculated the number of times snow slid off the roof eaves for the purpose of estimating the degree of abrasion after the lapse of a certain number of years. The calculation was based on meteorological data as well as on observations of snow sliding off test roofs. From the facts described above, we obtained an equation for estimating abrasion of roofing materials of sloped roofs.