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STTRUCTURES
DEFINITION OF LONG SPAN STUCTURES
BUILDINGS THAT CREATE UNOBSTRUCTED, COLUMN-FREE SPACES GREATER THAN 30 M (100FEET) FOR A VARIETY OF
FUNCTIONS / ACTIVITIES
STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS:
PARALLEL BEAM :
THE PARALLEL BEAM APPROACH IS EFFECTIVE FOR SPANS UP TO AROUND 14 M. FLOOR GRIDS COMPRISE TWOLAYERS OF
FULLY CONTINUOUS BEAMS RUNNING IN ORTHOGONAL DIRECTIONS. SERVICES RUNNING IN EITHERDIRECTION CAN BE
INTEGRATED WITHIN THESE TWO LAYERS, SO THAT SERVICES PASSING IN ANY DIRECTION CAN BE ACCOMMODATED
WITHIN THE STRUCTURAL FLOOR DEPTH. A FURTHER BENEFIT IS THAT, BEING FULLYCONTINUOUS, THE DEPTH OF THE
BEAMS THEMSELVES IS REDUCED WITHOUT INCURRING THE EXPENSE ANDCOMPLEXITY OF RIGID, FULL STRENGTH
CONNECTIONS .
COMPOSITE BEAMS WITH WEB OPENING :
WEB OPENINGS ARE TYPICALLY FORMED IN BEAMS TO ALLOW SERVICES TO PASS THROUGH THE BEAM. THISENABLES THE
STRUCTURAL AND SERVICE ZONES TO OCCUPY THE SAME SPACE, THEREBY REDUCING THEEFFECTIVE OVERALL DEPTH OF
FLOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR A GIVEN SPANNING CAPABILITY. OPENINGS MAYALSO BE FORMED FOR AESTHETIC REASONS,
FOR INSTANCE WITH CAMBERED BEAMS USED TO SUPPORT AROOF. COMPOSITE BEAMS WITH WEB OPENINGS HAVE BEEN
SHOWN TO BE A COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION FORSPANS IN THE RANGE 10 TO 16 M.
TYPES OF TRUSSES
PRATT TRUSS
PRATT TRUSSES ARE COMMONLY USED IN LONG SPAN BUILDINGS RANGING FROM 20 TO 100 M IN SPAN. INA
CONVENTIONAL PRATT TRUSS, DIAGONAL MEMBERS ARE IN TENSION FOR GRAVITY LOADS. THIS TYPE OFTRUSS IS USED
WHERE GRAVITY LOADS ARE PREDOMINANT AN ALTERNATIVE PRATT TRUSS IS SHOWN WHERETHE DIAGONAL MEMBERS
ARE IN TENSION FOR UPLIFT LOADS. THIS TYPE OF TRUSS IS USED WHERE UPLIFTLOADS ARE PREDOMINANT, WHICH
MAY BE THE CASE IN OPEN BUILDINGS SUCH AS AIRCRAFT HANGERS.
WARREN TRUSS
IN THIS TYPE OF TRUSS, DIAGONAL MEMBERS ARE ALTERNATIVELY IN TENSION AND IN COMPRESSION. THE
WARRENTRUSS HAS EQUAL LENGTH COMPRESSION AND TENSION WEB MEMBERS, AND FEWER MEMBERS THAN
APRATTTRUSS. A MODIFIED WARREN TRUSS MAY BE ADOPTED WHERE ADDITIONAL MEMBERS ARE INTRODUCED TO
PROVIDEA NODE AT PURLIN LOCATIONS.WARREN TRUSSES ARE COMMONLY USED IN LONG SPAN BUILDINGS RANGING
FROM20 TO 100 M IN SPAN.