“Gh.

Gh. Asachi”
Asachi” Technical University of Iasi
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Structural Mechanics Cezar Aanicai,
Aanicai, Dr. Eng.

TRUSSES
the sharp
dancers silver showers-
showers-
a silent orchestration
across the night sky
Lori L. Moore

Simple Trusses
Definition: A truss is a structure composed
of slender members joined together at their
end points. Joints are usually formed by
bolting or welding the members to a common
plate, called a gusset plate, or simply passing
a large bolt through each member.
 Gusset plate

F
Not Allowed!
Forces at Joints Only!

83 tons, l = 53.50 m / h = 7 m

Not Allowed!
Gheorghe Pănculescu
Graduation license of the Federal Polytechnic School of Zurich, Switzerland

Engineer at the Eiffel Company recommended by Vasile Alecsandri

1878 – Bucharest - Predeal railway finished in 1 year instead of 5 years(!) due to his
revolutionary inventions in the steel structures technology (a new
new joining method of the
railway sleepers outside of the railway area)

Gustave Eiffel especially

arrived at Vălenii de Munte
to talk with Gh.
Gh. Pănculescu
in 1879 about the fastest
way to build the Eiffel
Tower using his new
technology.

In "Comunication sur les

travaux de la tour de 300 m“
m“
(1887) Gustave Eiffel declare
that without the Pănculescu’
Pănculescu’s
innovative technology the
building couldn’
couldn’t be built
 Romanian civil engineer and scientist
Professor at National School for
Bridges and Roadways
President of the Romanian Academy
(1907-
(1907-1916)

Original solutions:
• Railway bridges: Adjud-
Adjud-Tg.
Tg. Ocna - 1882,
Tg.
Tg. Jiu-
Jiu-Filiasi,
Filiasi, double way viaduct and railway
bridge on the Siret (Cosmesti)
Cosmesti)
• Railway tunnel in Mostistea Valley, Anghel Saligny
(1854-
(1854-1925)
• Shipbuilding docks and warehouses
in Galati and Braila (1884- by Richard Soler (Spain)
(1884-1889)
• Fascine works, reinforced steel piles, foundation rafts for harbours (Danube
embankments, Constanta harbour,
harbour, Ramadan harbour in Giurgiu etc.)
• For the first time in the world he used the reinforced concrete to construct silos
• The King Carol I (or Cernavoda bridge)
bridge) over the Danube - the longest bridge in
Europe at that time and the third in the world

Total length = 4037 m

over Danube = 1662 m
over Borcea = 920 m
Height above the water = 30 m
Gerber truss structure:
4 x 140 m and 1 x 190 m

Inaugurated on November 26th, 1890

with a 15 locomotive convoy at 85 km/h
Assumptions for Design
1. All loads applied at the joints
2. Joints are modeled by smooth pin
connections
3. Members are two-force members
4. Members in tension or compression

Rigid Truss
A plane truss is rigid if it does not change
shape when subjected to a general system
of forces at it joints. The truss must
maintain its shape and remain a rigid body
when detached from it supports.
Simplest Plane Truss: Three members and
three joints forming a triangle. This is called
the basic truss element.

Rigid Truss
 C C D

A B A B

The basic truss ABC can be extended by adding new members

BD and CD to the existing joints B and C and connecting them
to form a new joint D. Providing that D does not lie on a line
through BC the new truss will be rigid.

C
D

E
A B

Further extend the basic truss by repeating this process.

truss.
A truss constructed by this procedure is called a simple truss.
How many unknowns in a truss problem?

b - member forces
r - reaction forces
b + r - unknowns
n - number of joints
2n - number of joint equilibrium equations

2n = b + r for equilibrium
or
ns = 2n – (b+r)
b+r) - the degree of indeterminacy

For a usually plane truss: r = 3, hence 2n = b + 3 or b = 2n – 3.

ns = 0 - statically determinate
ns > 0 - statically unstable ( mechanism if ns = -1)
ns < 1 - statically indeterminate

Statically Determinate
n=5
b=7
r=3
b + r = 2n = 10
 Statically Indeterminate
n=5
b=8
r=3
b + r = 11 > 2n = 10

Mechanism
b=6
n=5
r=3
b = 6 < 2n – r = 10 – 3 = 7
b + r < 2j
2j unstable
b + r ≥ 2j unstable if truss support reactions are concurrent
or parallel or if some of the components of the truss
form a collapsible mechanism
Classify each of the trusses in the figure below as stable, unstable,
unstable,
statically determinate, or statically indeterminate. The trusses are
subjected to arbitrary external loadings that are assumed to be known
and can act anywhere on the trusses.

SOLUTION

Externally stable,
stable, since the reactions Externally stable.
stable. Since b = 15, r = 4, j = 9,
are not concurrent or parallel. Since b = then b + r > 2j
2j or 19 > 18. The truss is
19, r = 3, j = 11, then b + r = 2j
2j or 22 = statically indeterminate to the first degree.
22.
22. Therefore, the truss is statically stable.
By inspection the truss is internally stable.
determinate.
determinate. By inspection the truss is
internally stable.

Externally stable.
stable.
Since b = 12, r = 3, j =
8, then b + r < 2j
2j or 15
Externally stable.
stable. Since b = 9, r = 3, j = < 16. The truss is
6, then b + r = 2j
2j or 12 = 12.
12. The truss is unstable.
internally unstable.
determinate. By inspection
statically determinate.
stable.
the truss is internally stable.
Allan Pratt
Flat
Attic Smith
Brown Fan, Double Fan…
Fan…
Baltimore Scissor
Burr arch Haupt
Bollmann Studio
Cantilever Howe
Thacher
Kingpost
Common
Dare
DeBurgh Paddleford Tray
Fink, Double Fink…
Fink… Parker Town lattice
Pennsylvania through Truesdell
Gambrel Vaulted
Pettit Waddell "A" Vierendeel
Lattice
Pony Warren
Lenticular
Polynesian (Duo-
(Duo-Pitch) Whipple
Long
Queen Post
Stepdown Hip
Hip Girder

Types of Trusses
1. Roof trusses
2. Bridge Trusses

Roof Trusses
Roof Trusses

Roof Trusses

English or Howe

Pratt
Roof Trusses

Warren 3-hinge truss

Warren Scissors

Fan truss Bowstring (Parker truss)

Bridge Trusses
 Bridge Trusses

Warren

Howe

Pratt

K Truss

Compound Trusses

Fink truss (1858, Albert Fink)

Queen truss Baltimore truss

Double layer
formation grid
Main advantages of space grids

• All elements contribute to the load carrying capacity.

• Reduced deflections.
• Cheap support structure.
• Easy installation of mechanical, electrical, air-handling ducts etc.
• Are factory fabricated → accurate components.
• Are modular → easily transportable and simple to assemble on site.
• Large functional free spaces.
• Great architectural effect.
Main disadvantages of space grids
• Much more expensive than alternative structural systems.
• The buckling of a compression member, could lead to an overall collapse.
• Are sensitive to damage caused by fire, explosion or seismic activity.
activity.
• Visually, space grid structures are very “busy”
busy”.
• Huge number and very complex joints → longer erection times on site.
site.
• Difficult to use on irregular plan shapes
• Special fire protection measures when used for floors.

Roof collapse – Hartford Civic Center (1978)

Tensegrity concept
Kenneth Snelson (1968, USA) or Karl Ioganson (1921, Latvia)?

Tensegrity is the exhibited strength that results "when push and pull have
a win-
win-win relationship with each other“
other“ : continuous pull is balanced by
equivalently discontinuous pushing forces
Tensegrity truss,
truss, a truss where no compression member touches
any other compression member

Applications:

Tensegrity structures (geodesic domes,

bridges, roofs, deployable structures
etc.), biology and anatomy (models of cell
structures, muscles, bones, spine etc.)…
etc.)…
Tensegrity sphere
sphere
 Tensegrity structure =
structural form with both
tension and compression
elements

The Montreal Biosphè

Biosphère (1967, Buckminster Fuller)
Fuller)

Kurilpa Bridge (september

(september
2009, Brisbane, Australia)
Australia)

Kurilpa Bridge (september

(september 2009, Brisbane, Australia)
Australia)
Structural Analysis

Analyzing a Truss

1. External Equilibrium
a. Reaction Forces

2. Internal Equilibrium
a. Force in each Member
i. Method of Joints
ii. Method of Sections
 Definition
Free Body Diagram (FBD) =
simplified representation of an
object (the body), and the forces
acting on it, i.e. the body is “free”
free”
of its environment. In other words
we consider the forces (and only
the forces) acting on the object of
our interest. The object is seen
as not connected to any other
object – it is “free”
free”.

Method of Joint Isolation

1. Considers equilibrium of a joint.

2. Need to draw FBD of joint.
3. Truss members are two-force members so
each FBD will be a concurrent (and
coplanar) force system.
4. Two equilibrium equations: ΣFx=0, ΣFy=0
 Method of Joint Isolation
Procedure for Analysis
1. Draw FBD of entire truss and solve for support reactions.
2. Draw FBD of a joint with at least one known force and at
most two unknown forces.
3. Either assume all unknown member forces are tensile.
Positive results indicate tension and negative results
indicate compression.
4. Otherwise determine the correct sense for unknowns by
inspection. Positive results indicate correct assumption
and negative results indicate incorrect assumption.

Method of Joint Isolation

Procedure for Analysis

5. Continue selecting joints where there are at least one

known force and at most two unknown forces.
6. Tension pulls on a member.
7. Compression pushes on (compresses) a member.
8. Present member forces as positive numbers with (T) or
(C) indicating tension or compression.
 Zero force members

Using the joint isolation method, indicate all the

members of the truss shown in the figure below
that have zero force.
SOLUTION
 Determine if the members are in
tension or compression.

3/4 a

D C 1/4 a
A

a a

∑ Fx = 0 ⇒ Ax = 0
∑ Fy = 0 ⇒ A y +Cy − P = 0
∑ M A = 0 ⇒ − Pa + Cy (2a) = 0
P P
Cy = Ay = B
2 2

3/4 a

Ax A D 1/4 a
C
P
a a
Ay Cy
 ∑ Fx = 0
45o FAB 4 1
FAD + FAB = 0
FAD 17 2
∑ Fy = 0
A 1
P 1 1
4 + FAD + FAB = 0
2 17 2
FAD = 0.687 P (T )
P/2
FAB = 0.943 P (C)
By symmetry :
FCD = 0.943 P (T )
FCB = 0.943 P (C)
FDB
∑ Fy = 0
4 4
1 1
FDB −
1
(0.687 P ) − 1 (0.687 P ) = 0
17 17
D FDB = 1.33 P (T )
0.687 P 0.687 P

Method of Sections
(Ritter method)

Based on principle that if a body is

in equilibrium then any (all) parts of
the body must be in equilibrium
 G E 400 N

3m
A D
B C
1200 N

4m 4m 4m

Find the axial efforts in members GE, GC, BC.

∑ Fx = 0
400 − A x = 0
∑ Fy = 0
A y + D y − 1200 = 0
A x = 400 N
∑ MA = 0
−1200(8) − 400(3) + D y (12) = 0
D y = 900 N
A y = 300 N
 FGE FGE
G G

FGC FGC
400 N A 400 N A
C’
B FBC B F = 800 N
BC
300 N 300 N

∑ MG = 0 ∑ MC = 0
−300(4) − 400(3) + FBC (3) = 0 −300(8) − FGE (3) = 0
FBC = 800 N (T) FGE = −800 N
FGE = 800 N (C)

G 800 N
5
3
4 FGC
400 N A
B 800 N
300 N
∑ Fy = 0
⎛ 3⎞
−300 − FGC ⎜ ⎟ = 0
⎝ 5⎠
FGC = 500 N (T)
 Find the axial effort in member CF

Find Reactions
∑M O =0
− FCF sin 45o (12m ) + ( 3kN )( 8 m ) − ( 4.75 kN )( 4 m ) = 0
FCF = 0.589 kN ( C )

No single section cut will provide the answer.

Find the axial effort in member EB

 ∑ MB = 0
1000(4) + 3000(2) − 4000(4)
− FED sin 30o (4) = 0
FED = −3000 N
FED = 3000 N (C)

1000 N

E
3000 N
FEF

FEB

∑ Fx = 0
− FEF cos30o − 3000cos30o = 0
FEF = −3000 N
This is the FEF = 3000 N (C)
joint isolation method!
∑ Fy = 0
− FEF sin 30o − 3000sin 30o − 1000 − FEB = 0
FEB = 2000 N (T)
Determine the axial efforts in the member CD,
CD, ID, and IH
 SOLUTION

Determine the force in members BC and MC of the K-K-truss shown in

the figure below. State whether the members are in tension or
compression. The reactions at the supports have been calculated.
SOLUTION
 Compound trusses
Procedure for Analysis
Step 1. Identify the simple trusses
Step 2. Obtain external loading
Step 3. Solve for simple trusses separately

Indicate how to analyze the compound truss shown in the figure

below. The reactions at the supports have been calculated.
SOLUTION
Indicate how to analyze the compound truss shown in the figure
below. The reactions at the supports have been calculated.
SOLUTION
Indicate how to analyze the symmetrical compound truss shown in
the figure below. The reactions at the supports have been calculated.
calculated.

SOLUTION
COMPLEX STRUCTURES
 Determine the force in each member of the complex
truss shown in the figure below. Assume joints B, F,
and D are on the same horizontal line. State whether
the members are in tension or compression.

SOLUTION