Slate Roof

An investigation of the failure of a large man-made slate roof in Hamilton near Glasgow. Slates were ripped off by the wind in a classic diagonal pattern away from the upwind eaves corner. The question was, why did they fail since the wind speeds were high but well within the design speeds for the area. The investigation involved site visits, manual calculations and laboratory testing of sample slates and their fixings. This case was settled out of court.