Technical Note: Light Frame Wood Truss Roof Collapse in Mississippi, A Case Study

Abstract

In or around 1972, an experimental building was constructed. One of the intents of the construction project was to demonstrate advancements in wood building construction design. In was value-engineered throughout. That is, its materials and systems were intended to function at or near design capacity. In 2019, part of the roof of the structure collapsed. This case study investigates two potential factors that led to the failure: stress concentration in excess of the allowable stress for 2 x 4 web members and insufficient plywood sheathing to support live loads caused by large rain events.