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The Mathematics of Rafter and Collar Ties

Posted on November 29, 2010 by mathscinotes

2. Introduction
As a boy, I remember seeing a dilapidated farm building that had a set of rafter ties
in its attic. I noticed that the rafter ties had pulled away from the rafters they were
nailed to. The rafter ties were clearly pulling away from their rafters because of the
tension forces they were experiencing when under snow load. I noticed that steel
cables has been hidden behind the rafter ties to try to reinforce them, but the screws
attaching the cables to the rafters were also pulling out. This also was a sign of
tremendous tension.

I had forgotten about this old farm building until I saw an article in the Journal of
Light Construction (JLC) on the problems associated with using rafter ties on a roof.
I became curious where the equation used in this article came from and I decided to
derive it myself. I also noticed that the same equation is also built into an online
calculator. Note that this post does not presume to train anyone on how to do
structural engineering. Instead, I am reviewing the basic mathematics and physics
used in doing this sort of work. See a structural engineer if you have a real problem
that needs to be solved.
For those who are not familiar with rafter ties, I have included Figure 1 as an
illustration of what they are and how they are connected to the rafters. The number
of ties required per rafter will vary by situation. The rafter ties can generate
tremendous force on the rafter to which it is connected. Purlins are often used in
conjunction with rafter ties (see Appendix below for a figure).

Collar Tie Illustration and Installation Rafter Tie Illustration and Installation
 Figure 1: Illustration and Implementation Examples of Rafter and Collar Ties

3. Analysis
4. Some Definitions
Mathematically, rafter and collar ties are handled the same way. However, each type
of tie has a different purpose. Unfortunately, the terms collar and rafter tie are often
conflated. I found a good set of definitions from a construction forum that I will use
here.
Tension Tie
A structural member that is subject to net tension.

Collar Tie
A tension tie in the upper third of opposing gable rafters that is intended to
resist rafter separation from the ridge because of wind or unbalanced roof
loads. Collar tie is a colloquial term for collar beam.
Rafter Tie
A tension tie in the lower third of opposing gable rafters that is intended to
resist the outward thrust of the rafter under load.

Figure 2 is an illustration of a roof constructed using rafter ties.

Figure 2: Illustration of Roof with Rafter Tie.

5. Calculating Roof Loading
Figure 3 shows how the loading on an individual rafter is defined. Observe that all
the loads are specified as if they were projected onto the horizontal plane.

Figure 3: Illustration of a Rafter's Tributory Area.

The total load on a rafter is given by W, which is calculated using Equation 1.

Eq.
1
where L is the rafter length projected onto the horizontal plane, 
d is the rafter tributory width , and
 σ is the roof loading projected onto the horizontal plane. The use of
projections onto the horizontal plane seems to be the most commonly used
approach.

6. Rafter and Collar Tie Tension Equation

To establish the relationship discussed in the article, we need to observe that the sum
of the angular momentums must be 0. Consider the following free body diagram
(Figure 4).
 Figure 4: Free Body Diagram of the Rafter.Moments are summed about a point on the ridge of the roof. For
details on computing the moment due to the distributed load, see the Appendix at the bottom of this post.

For a static (i.e. non-rotating) situation, the moment about ridge beam connection
exerted by the tension tie must equal the moment exerted by the support reaction
and the distributed load (Equation 2).

Eq.
2
This form is correct, but a more useful form for this discussion substitutes the roof
slope and height for L.

Equation 3 is presented in the JLC article. This equation can be modified to produce

Equation 4, another commonly seen result.
 Figure 5: JLC Example in Mathcad.

7. Conclusion
Using basic statics, I have derived the equations used in in determining the tension
in rafter and collar ties. I have duplicated a worked example from JLC magazine.
This exercise has shown me that rafter and collar ties are subject to enormous
tension forces. These forces make securing the ties to the rafters an engineering
challenge. The tension is so high that a large number of nails/screws would be
needed for each joint. In fact, so many fasteners are needed that the joint may
weaken because of having so many fasteners in a relatively small area.

I also learned that rafter and collar ties have different purposes: collar ties help
secure the rafters to the ridge beam during periods of unbalanced loads (i.e. from
wind or asymmetrical snow load); rafter ties are used to counteract the outward
thrust of the roof.

Note that this post reviews the mathematics performed by a licensed structural
engineer in a construction industry publication. It is not intended to be a tutorial on
designing rafter or collar ties. That is a job for a professional.