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Post-hurricane damage assessments have documented the failure of wall components and connections including the loss of various types of siding materials. In addition, recent U.S. model building/energy code changes are expected to lead to increased use of continuous insulation, particularly foam sheathing attached to the exterior surface of light-frame wall framing, to achieve advanced energy code compliance. A particular need for multi-layer wall systems is the understanding of wind loads on the various layers so that designers and product manufacturers can ensure acceptable building envelope performance of energy efficient wall systems in high-wind events, such as hurricanes. This paper presents results obtained from full-scale wind tunnel tests and compares them with results obtained using dynamic pressure chamber tests. The full-scale wind tunnel tests indicate that porous exterior siding experiences higher wind loads and that the interior gypsum wall board experiences lower loads than previously measured in dynamic pressure chamber tests. Results of the different test methods are compared and implications are discussed.

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