intersecting snow drift 1

[bjb]

It does not appear to me that the ASCE 7-93,-95,-98 explicitly contain provisions dealing with intersecting snow drifts. I am wondering, what are other structural engineers doing (if anything) for intersecting snow drifts?

 

[Taro]

In the absence of explicit guidelines, I would use another recognized standard. For example, the 1997 Uniform Building Code Section 1644.6 states "When one snow drift intersects another..., the maximum unit pressure of the drift shall be taken as the greater of the two individual drifts, but not the sum of the two. The total load on the area of intersection is increased, however, simply because of the assumed geometry of the intersecting drifts."