FINAL PROJECT

PHYSICS 1401
JEFFERY DING
ALAN JONES

TRUSSES
TRUSSES ARE USED IN NUMEROUS
MANNERS.
BRIDGE TRUSSES
ROOF TRUSSES
CONVEYOR FRAME TRUSSES
CRANE BOOM TRUSSES

COMMON TYPES OF
TRUSSES
TRUSSES WERE COMMONLY NAMED AFTER
THE PERSON WHO DEVELOPED THEM
EXAMPLES ARE AS FOLLOWS
King Post
Warren
Howe
English
Pratt
Fink
Parker

KING POST

WARREN

HOWE

ENGLISH

PRATT

FINK

PARKER

COMMON TYPES OF
TRUSSES
SOME WERE
NAMED AFTER
THE SHAPE OR
CITY IN WHICH
THEY WERE FIRST
USED
Bowstring
Baltimore
Pettit

BOWSTRING

BALTIMORE

PETTIT

TRUSSES
Trusses act as long ,deep girders with the
cutout webs.
Roof trusses not only carry their own weight
and the weight of the roof framing but also
wind loads, snow loads, suspended ceilings and
equipment, and a live load during construction
and maintenance, and repair.

TRUSSES
Bridge trusses have to support their own
weight and that of deck framing and deck live
loads from traffic (automobiles, trucks,
railroad trains, pedestrians, etc.) and forces
caused by live loads.

TRUSSES
Other uses of trusses are for conveyor frames in the
material handling systems. Conveyors are uses to
transport material, without the use of mobile
equipment. Trusses in the material handling can
reach spans in excess of 100 feet.
Crane Booms are constructed of trusses, in order to
give them the ability to lift large amounts of weight
with smaller lighter steel members.

EXPERIMENTAL TRUSS
Basic Shape and Construction
Truss was constructed from Popsicle sticks
Truss configuration was a three section Warren
truss.
Basic bridge dimensions are 13.5 inches long, 3.5
inches tall, and 2 inches wide.

TRUSS DRAWING
3

2
1

8
7

10
6

11

4
5

TRUSS DRAWING

TRUSS DRAWING

TRUSS DRAWING

TRUSS DRAWING

Predicted Weakness/Strength
The quality of the wood used in the Popsicle stick may
very greatly and therefore lead to the failure of a
member prematurely.
The glue used at the connections may not be of equal
amounts at each point, this would cause one joint to fail
prior to the wood member failing.
The Warren truss, although simple in design, is one of the
more common trusses used in the construction industry
to span a distance with the use of smaller members.

THEORETICAL STRENGTH
Material of Construction
Popsicle
Stick
Cross-Sectional Area
(3/8 inch x 1/16 inch) .02347375 Square Inches
Ultimate Shear Strength in psi for white pine is
860 psi
Shear Force= 860psi/.02347375 sq in

THEORETICAL STRENGTH
Shear Force= 20.16 lbs per side
Two sides under common load=Total load of
20.16lbs.times 2= 40.32 lbs.
Maximum Load= 40.32 lbs.

DESIGN LOADS/SIDE
20.1 LBS
7.07 LBS
14.2 LBS

7.07 LBS

14.2 LBS
14.2 LBS
14.2 LBS
14.2 LBS

7.07 LBS

7.07 LBS

14.2 LBS

7.07 LBS

TEST BREAKS
TEST MEMBER
MISSING

None Missing

10

POUNDS
40.0

lbs.

15.6

lbs.

19.0

lbs.

32.0

lbs.

26.6

lbs.

36.2

lbs.

40.0

lbs.

error in testing due to string stretching

TEST BREAKS
TEST MEMBER

11

2
9

POUNDS
26.4 lbs.
20.0 lbs.
25.8 lbs.

MISSING

TRUSS TEST
40 LBS
3

2
1

10

11

6
NO MEMBERS MISSING

TRUSS TEST
15.6 LBS
3

2
1

10
6

11

MEMBER THREE MISSING

TRUSS TEST
19.0 LBS.
3

2
1

8
7

10
6

11

4
5

MEMBER SIX MISSING

TRUSS TEST
32.0 LBS
3

2
1

8
7

10
6

11

MEMBER TEN MISSING

TRUSS TEST
26.6 LBS
3

2
1

8
7

10
6

11

MEMBER FOUR MISSING

TRUSS TEST
36.2 LBS.
3

2
1

8
7

10
6

11

4
5

MEMBER SEVEN MISSING

TRUSS TEST
40 LBS.
3

2
1

8
7

10
6

11

MEMBER EIGHT MISSING

TESTING ERROR

TRUSS TEST
26.4 LBS
3

2
1

8
7

10
6

11

4
5

MEMBER ELEVEN MISSING

TRUSS TEST
20.0 LBS
3

2
1

8
7

10
6

11

4
5

MEMBER TWO MISSING

TRUSS TEST
25.8 LBS
3

2
1

8
7

10
6

11

4
5

MEMBER NINE MISSING

TEST RESULTS
Number 3 missing, the horizontal force that
number three should have had resulted in to
much force at the connection on members 10,
11, 6, and 5 thereby causing failure.
Number 6 missing caused the bridge to rotate
around the load point causing failure.

TEST REUSLTS
Number 10 missing, the
bridge could withstand more
load since the force was
transferred to member 9
until it became overloaded
and failure occurred
Number 4 missing, the load
was carried by the majority
of the truss until the bending
of member 5 failed.

TEST RESULTS
Number 7 missing, the truss could withstand the
greater load until the connection at members 1, 8,
and 2 failed.
Number 8 missing, test procedure error occurred
on this test but the results would be approximately
the same as if member 11 was missing.

TEST RESULTS
Number 11 missing, the loading of the bridge
had reached its maximum point at which
failure occurred at member 5 due to shear
forces.
Number 2 missing, the results would be the
same a number 3 missing but due to the
difference in the wood quality and amount of
glue applied at the joints the resultants loads
were slightly different.

TEST RESULTS
Number 9 missing, this test would have the same
results as if member 10 was missing, but due to
the different quality of wood and the amount of
glue used in the connections, the final result of
maximum loads were different.

CONCLUSION
The full truss tested very close to the theoretical
value 40 lbs vs. 40.32 lbs.
Removing a single member greatly reduced the
amount weight that the bridge could hold.
The fact that the unit was a truss allowed for a
value of greater than 20.16 lbs when a single
member was missing.
Some of the failures occurred because of the
inconsistency of the type of wood product.

CONCLUSION
It is very important to make sure that the
same amount of glue is used at each
connection point.