General Information
Figure 1 shows a steel carport.
The steel structure consists mainly of columns, knee braces, beams, purlins, and metal roofing sheets. The columns, knee braces, and beams are made of rectangular hollow sections (about 40 x 15 mm), while the purlins are made of hat furring channels. The length l ≅ 5.5 m, and the width w ≅ 2.5 m. The structure is in a snowless region.
Carport Without Foundations
Figure 2 shows the carport.
The carport has two front and three back columns (marked with Fn and Bn), and the roof structure consists of transverse beams, longitudinal beams, and purlins. All columns are placed directly over the concrete floor without fasteners, and knee braces are installed on columns B1 and B3.
What must be considered before placing steel colums directly without any fastenings over an outdoor concrete floor?
Wind and Seismic Loads
Figure 3 shows a schematic layout of the structure.
Back column B3 is connected to a building, and the longitudinal front beam is connected to a billboard column, as shown in figures 4 and 5, respectively.
The column is connected to the steel facade structure of the building by two two-bent furring C-channels and eight screws (two per channel's end).
The longitudinal front beam is connected to the billboard column by a single screw.
How does the carport behave during a windstorm?
How does the carport behave during a seismic event?