WIND LOAD EVALUATION OF ROOF PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS LOADED IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER WIND TUNNEL

Abstract

Nowadays, more and more solar panel devices are mounted on the roofs. In some particular situations, the assessment of a structure in a higher energetic efficiency category (passive/active houses) may lead to the case of covering the entire roof with a system of photovoltaic panels. In these circumstances, an experimental study for testing the structural behaviour of the roof is mandatory to accurately estimate the true wind load. In this paper is presented an experimental setup based on two configurations of roofs, both made with photovoltaic panel systems, which are tested to wind actions. To maximize precision, the roof scaled models were designed in 3D modelling software and printed using a 3D printer. After the models were printed, they were instrumented with strain-gauge pressure sensors and prepared for the wind load tests.