Analytical modelling of pull-through failures in crest-fixed steel claddings

The crest-fixed high strength steel roof claddings often suffer from local pull-through failures at their screw connections during high wind events. Loss of claddings always leads to a progressive collapse of the entire building. Since the local pull-through failures in the less ductile G550 steel claddings are initiated by transverse splitting at the fastener hole, analytical studies have not been able to determine the pull-through failure loads accurately. However, an appropriate splitting criterion has been developed recently using a series of full scale experiments of crest-fixed steel claddings. A shell finite element model of crest-fixed steel cladding has then been developed that included the new splitting criterion. The improved finite element analyses are able to model the pull-through failures associated with splitting as evident from the comparison of their results with the corresponding full scale experimental results. This paper presents the details of the improved analytical model of crest-fixed steel claddings and the results.