truss is a structure made up of slender members pin-connected at ends and is capable of taking

loads at joints. They are used as roof trusses to support sloping roofs and as bridge trusses to support
deck. In many machines steel trusses are used. Transmission towers are also the examples of trusses.
In the case of wooden trusses, the ends are connected by making suitable joints or by nailing and
bolting whereas in steel trusses ends are connected by bolting or welding. The trusses are also known
as ‘pinjointed frames’.
A truss in which all the members lie in a single plane is called as a plane truss. In such trusses
loads act in the plane of the truss only. Roof trusses and bridge trusses can be considered as plane
trusses. If all the members of a truss do not lie in a single plane, then it is called a space truss. Tripod
and transmission towers are the examples of space trusses. In this chapter, the analysis of only plane
trusses is considered