Experimental Study of Metal Roof Decking Systems Subject to Tornado-Borne Debris Impact

Wind-borne debris is a major threat to the integrity of building envelope during hurricanes, tornadoes, and other high-wind events. This paper details the process and outcomes of a series of debris impact tests on different metal roof decking systems. The test assemblies were built with two deck types and two support types and impacted by wood missiles at different velocities and locations. The test protocol was consistent with the industry guidelines for safe rooms and storm shelters. Deformation of metal deck was increased with impact velocity, and impact locations farther away from support exhibited larger deformations. At lower impact velocities, assemblies with hollow steel sections (HSS) support tended to incur larger deformation than those with joist support at near-support locations but less deformation at away-from-support locations. To overcome the limitation of the experiment, future finite-element analysis studies are proposed to investigate a wider range of impact velocities and locations along with additional structural parameters of the metal roof decking system.