ABCM-Report 02

Long Span Trusses

Name: Asmita R. Sutar

Roll No: 25
Date: 16.06.2020
 Long Span Trusses

History:
Truss:
The evolution of trusses started with roof trusses, based on the concept of triangular panels of
intrinsic stability. The development of long-span trusses is credited to Palladio with his design
of the Cimone River bridge. The development accelerated during the 19th century, with
the development of the Warren, Pratt and other trusses.

Cimone River bridege by Palladio

(16th century) 30m (98ft) span.

Parabolic trusses By Ludwig Laves(1840)

Under uniform load the parabolic truss
results in uniform stress in top and bottom
chords and no stress in the vertical and
diagonal web bars. However, web bars are
needed to prevent chord bar buckling and
resist non-uniform load. In response to top
compression and bottom tension, both
tension, both trusses have large top chords
and small bottom chords.

Wood truss Manege, Moscow (1823-24)

Engineer: Betancourt
With 45.7m (150ft) span this roof truss was the
first structure after 17 centuries to exceed the
Pantheon span of 43,3m (143ft).
 Structural Behavior:

1. Unstable square panel deforms under

load.
Only triangles are intrinsically stable polygons.

2. Truss of triangular panels with inward

sloping diagonal bars that elongate in
tension under load (preferred
configuration)

3. Outward sloping diagonal bars

compress(disadvantage)

4. Top chords shorted in compression

Bottom chords elongate in tension under
gravity load.

5. Gable truss with top compression and

bottom tension.
• A roof truss is a structure that includes one or multiple triangular units that include
straight slender members with their ends connected via nodes.

• Trusses are frame works in which the members are subjected to essentially axial
forces due to externally applied load.

• Bending leads to compression in the top chords (or horizontal members), tension in
the bottom chords, and either tension or compression in the vertical and diagonal members,
depending on
Classification:
Categories:
Pitched Roof Truss:
• A pitched roof truss has a bottom
chord with two inclined top chords
connected through gusset plates or
panels. Extra supports in the form of
struts are also added as per the
requirement.
•These trusses have a greater depth at
mid-span.

Parallel Chord truss:

A parallel truss has a

bottom chord and a top chord
that run parallel to each other.
Extra supports in the form of
struts are also added as per the
requirement.
Types of Trusses:

King post truss:

A king post is a central vertical post used in
architectural or bridge designs, working in tension
to support a beam below from a truss apex above
King post spans up to 8m

Queen post truss:

A queen-post bridge has two uprights, placed
about one-third of the way from each end of the
truss. They are connected across the top by
a beam and use a diagonal brace between the
outer edges.
King post spans up to 10m

Pratt truss:
•In Pratt trusses, the web members are arranged in
such a way that under gravity load the longer
diagonal members are under tension and the shorter
vertical members experience compression.
•These trusses can be used for spans that range
between 6-10m.

Howe truss:
•The converse of the Pratt is the Howe truss. This is
commonly used in light roofing so that the longer
diagonals experience tension under reversal of
stresses due to wind load.
•These trusses can be used for spans that range
between 6-30m.
Fink truss:
Fink trusses are used for longer spans having high
pitch roof, since the web members in such truss are
sub-divided to obtain shorter members.

Fan truss:
Fan trusses are used when the rafter members of the
roof trusses have to be sub-divided into odd number
of panels.

Scissor truss:
Scissor roof truss can particularly be found in
cathedrals. The upside here is that the ceiling gets
vaulted and you receive more space in the attic.

Warren girder:
•Parallel chord trusses use webs of the same lengths
and thus, reduce fabrication costs for very long spans.
•Modified Warren is used with additional verticals,
introduced in order to reduce the unsupported length
of compression chord members.

Lattice girder:
•It is commonly made using a combination of
structural sections connected with diagonal lacing.
This member is more correctly referred to as a laced
strut or laced tie.
North light truss:
In the north light truss, skylights or openings are
provided to allow north light inside the structure.
Vierendeel truss:
The Vierendeel truss is a structure where the
members are not triangulated but form rectangular
openings, and is a frame with fixed joints that are
capable of transferring and resisting bending
moments.

K- type truss:
In the case of very deep and very shallow trusses it
may become necessary to use K patterns for web
members to achieve appropriate inclination of the
web members.
Types of Loads
The following are the various types of
loads to be considered while
calculating the stresses.
• Dead Load
• Live Load
• Longitudinal Force
• Horizontal Forces
• Wind Load
• Seismic Load

Load Analysis

Assumptions Behind Truss Analysis

Truss members are connected at
their ends only, and they are
connected by friction-less pins.
• So, you don't have to consider any
secondary bending moment
induced do to force of friction.
• Truss is loaded only at joints.
• Weight of truss members can be
neglected, compared to load acting
on the truss.

Nature of Load In Truss Members

Force developed in a truss member is
always axial. It can be either tensile,
or compressive.
• If a member is under tensile load, this
will be the direction of internal force
developed.
• So, you can notice that, under tensile
load, internal force developed in the
member is directed away from the
joint.
• Similarly, in case of compressive force,
the internal force developed in the
member is directed towards the joint.
Materials:
Wood:

Metal – Steel:

Concrete – Precast / Prestressed:

Bamboo:

Alternative Materials

Bamboo connections

While bamboo has been used for

centuries, the traditional methods of
lashing bamboo together are not
appropriate for the design of long
span trusses.
• These lashed connections don’t fully
utilize the full strength of bamboo
member.
• They rely solely on friction, the load
transfer between members is limited
and thus, structures require more
members to do the same job that
one could if it were well connected.
• Finally, complex geometries with
many members framing into one
node or three-dimensional space
frames are difficult if not impossible
to construct.

These connections solve the issues of

complex geometries by joining the
members at a central hub. While they
provide a standardized connection
throughout a project, they are not
readily available.
• Since all fibers in a bamboo run parallel
once a bolt is placed through it and the
connection loaded in tension, the bolt acts
like a wedge and splits the bamboo.
• Also, the puncture allows moisture to enter
the culm and accelerate decay
• Based on the proprietary nature of the
hubs, their installation requirements, and
the desire to develop cost effective, simple
connections, the research focused on an
alternate connection type to eliminate
these challenges.

Applications:

Gatton Railway Bridge, Australia

Pratt truss design

Powerhouse roof, Boise

Fink truss design
Church roof, America
Scissor truss design

Industrial shed, England

North light truss design

Convention centre
Warren girder

Vierendeel bridge, Belgium

Vierendeel truss design
Roof:

Advantages:

• Quick Installation- The primary

advantage of a truss is
that it can be installed quickly and cost-
effectively, even
even without heavy equipment to lift it
into place.
• Increased Span- The unique properties
of a triangular
object allow trusses to span across longer
distances.
• Load Distribution- The shape of a
triangle allows all of the
weight applied to the sides (or legs) to be
redistributed
redistributed down and away from the
centre. In trusses,
trusses, this transfers the entire weight of
the roof to the
the outer walls.
• Accessibility- Since the bottom rail of a
truss is typically
the ceiling of the rooms below, the
triangular spaces of
of the trusses themselves form accessible
paths for the
the installation of HVAC, electric and
other utility
applications. The central void of a truss
system is
generally, the attic of a home, with the
slope of the roof
roof forming the legs of the triangle.

Disadvantages:

• Transportation- Sometimes they are too

big for a truck. In such
cases, specially designed truss trailers have
to be used to haul the
structures around.
• Metal roofs-
I. Skilled labour is required to install metal
roof trusses.
II. They are not energy efficient since they
allow more heat to
from the structure.
III. When the metal is cut, drilled, scratched
or welded, rust can
become a problem.
• Wooden roofs-
I. Wooden roofs are susceptible to fire.
II. Wood can rot or become infested with
bugs if not maintained
treated properly.

Bridges:

Advantages:

• They are light, but strong- As they use

small
timbers or beams of metal, the trusses would
would be light, but are strong enough to
handle loads thanks to the ridged triangles.
• Accessibility- They allow placement of
roadways on the structure itself, such as a
rail,
rail, to be placed straight across it.
• Material usage- Because of its design, it
makes
good use of limited construction materials
to
to achieve strength that far outweighs its
cost.
cost.
• Can be constructed in difficult site
conditions-
These types of bridges can be built quickly
in
in places where many other types cannot,
linking areas that other types will not work in.

Disadvantages:

• They require high costs- While it is said

that these
bridges’ design efficiently uses materials,
it does use a lot
a lot of them. Building a truss bridge can
be costly, and
and its upkeep requires time and money.
• Wastage of materials- Without the
proper design and
work practice, constructing a truss bridge
can result to
to waste of materials.
• Maintenance- Because of the amount of
materials they
use, these types of bridges require a lot of
upkeep.
• Complicated Design-The design of
truss bridges can
become very complicated depending on the situation.
situation. The triangles have to be the perfect size and
and there has to be the perfect amount in order for the
the truss bridge to be safe.

Case Study:
St. Catherine’s Parish, Westford,MA
Type of Truss : Scissor Truss

St. Catherine’s Parish is in Westford, MA. Vermont Timber Works worked with St.
Catherine’s to expand their existing church. The firm provided new trusses that span over 37
feet.

Figure 4The Original Sanctuary Figure 3 Heavy Timber Scissor Trusses

Figure 1 Timber Ceiling Truss Corbel

Figure 2 Scissor Truss Detail
Truss Plan
Profile of the Truss