Roof trusses

Roof trusses, which are structural components of houses or commercial buildings,

support the weight of roof timbers and coverings. Usually, they are constructed
from pieces of timber or steel which are nailed, bolted, or pegged together to form
a mutually supporting and strong base for a roof. These trusses should never be
removed or altered without the advice of a structural engineer. Unsanctioned
changes to a truss could result in part or even all of a roof collapsing.
Typically, roof trusses are used in residential and commercial construction as an
alternative to conventional stick roof framing. Using trusses instead of stick framing
can provide builders with several advantages. For example, most such trusses are
conceived by engineers, who have ensured they meet roof load and building
requirements. By using prefabricated trusses, builders can significantly reduce their
total construction time.
Another key advantage to using trusses is that of cost. Roof trusses are generally
made from two by four stock. This stock is significantly less expensive than the
longer framing pieces used in conventional stick roof framing. In addition, trusses
can usually be installed by less experienced carpenters, allowing builders to save on
labor costs.
When roofing a building or home, adhering to a proper roof truss design is critical.
If one component of a truss is removed or weakened, the entire roof could give
way. The design must take into consideration the strength of the timbers, if a
wooden truss is used, or the steel, if a steel truss is used. Other factors that are
important in roof truss design include the distribution of the load through the truss
parts and the connection of the parts.
Roof trusses are available in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be customized to
suit virtually any roof design. One of the most common types of truss systems is a
pitched truss, also referred to as a common truss. Characterized by its triangular
shape, a pitched truss is often used in residential homes and storage buildings.
Pitched trusses include a host of specific truss designs from double fink, attic,
bowstring, and fan to scissors, double bobtail, and inverted shapes.
A number of factors can contribute to weakening roof tresses. Water leaks are one
of the top sources of roof tress damage, particularly in older buildings. In wooden
roof trusses, water leaks can lead to decay and insect attack, even if timber has
been treated. If an electrician or a plumber cuts notches or drills holes in a roof
structure, this may also weaken the tresses. Older roofs can be susceptible to joint
failure if they were connected with Mortise and Tenon joints and wooden pegs.

Roof Truss Types & Configurations

Truss Terms: The terms below are typically used to describe the various parts of a
metal plate connected wood truss. The truss profile, span, heel height, overall
height, overhang and web configuration depend on the specific design conditions
and will vary by application.

Types of Roof Trusses

There are two basic types of trusses. The pitched or common truss is characterized
by its triangular shape. It is most often used for roof construction. Some common
trusses are named according to their web configuration, such as the King Post, Fan,
Fink or Howe truss. The chord size and web configuration are determined by span,
load and spacing. All truss designs are optimized to provide the most economical
application.
The parallel chord truss or flat truss gets its name from having parallel top and
bottom chords. This type is often used for floor construction.

Truss Configurations
The following examples represent some of the possible variations on the basic types
of trusses. The only limit to the design is your imagination.

Closed trusses
The terms closed truss and open truss are used in two ways to describe
characteristics of truss roofs. Closed truss: 1) A truss with a tie beam; 2) a roof
system with a ceiling so the framing is not visible. Open truss: 1) A truss with an
interrupted tie beam or scissor truss which allow a vaulted ceiling area; 2) Roof
framing open to view, not hidden by a ceiling.

King post truss

King post truss.

Key: 1: King post, 2: tie beam,3: principal rafters, 4: struts.
A king post truss has two principal rafters, a tie beam, and a central vertical king
post. The simplest of trusses, it is commonly used in conjunction with two angled
struts.
The king post is normally under tension, and requires quite sophisticated joints with
the tie beam and principal rafters. In a variation known as a king bolt (rod) truss
the king post is replaced by a metal bolt (rod), usually of wrought iron.

Queen post truss

Queen post truss.

Key: 1: Queen posts, 2: tie beam,3: straining beam, 4: principal rafters.

A queen post truss has two principal rafters and two vertical queen posts. The
queen post truss extends the span, and combined with spliced joints in the longer
members extends the useful span for trusses of these types. As with a king post,
the queen posts may be replaced with iron rods and thus called a queen rod truss.
This truss is often known as a palladiana (Palladian truss) in Italy, as it was
frequently used by the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio. Sometimes a palladian
truss is defined as a compound truss with a queen post and king post truss in the
same assembly.
The queen post truss and the king post truss may be combined, by using the
straining beam of the queen post truss as the tie beam for a king post truss
above. Such combinations are known as compound trusses.

Liegender Stuhl

German illustration of a purlin roof with liegendem stuhl truss highlighted in blue.

Liegender stuhl is a truss of German origin, the German name is used in America.
This truss is found in some 18th and 19th-century buildings where Germans settled
in the U.S. The literal translation is "lying chair", lying meaning the top chords are
angled or leaning and chair in the sense of a support, in this case a post or
truss. Carpenters in the Netherlands also used this truss where it is spelled liggende
stoel.
Open trusses

Arch-braced truss

A single arch-braced truss.

Key: 1: principal rafters, 2: collar beam,3: arch braces.
Lacking a tie beam, the arch-braced (arched brace)[12] truss gives a more open look
to the interior of the roof. The principal rafters are linked by a collar beam
supported by a pair of arch braces, which stiffen the structure and help to transmit
the weight of the roof down through the principal rafters to the supporting wall. A
double arch braced truss has a second pair of arched braces lower down, from the
rafter to a block or inner sill: This form is called a wagon, cradle, barrel or tunnel
roof because of this cylindrical appearance.

Hammerbeam truss

Chambers 1908 single hammerbeam truss

The hammerbeam roof was the culmination of the development of the arch-braced
truss, allowing greater spaces to be spanned. The hammerbeam roof
of Westminster Hall in London, designed by Hugh Herland and installed between
1395 and 1399, was the largest timber-roofed space in medieval Europe, spanning
a distance of just over 20 metres (66 ft). It is considered to be the best example of
a hammer-beam truss in England.
Hammer beam trusses can have a single hammerbeam or multiple hammerbeams.
A false hammerbeam roof (truss) has two definitions: 1) There is no hammer post
on the hammer beam as sometimes found in a type of arch brace truss or; 2) The
hammer beam joins into the hammer post instead of the hammer post landing on
the hammer beam.

Scissor truss

A scissor truss

The scissor truss gets its name from being shaped like a pair of shears (scissors).
Two defining features of a scissor truss are: 1) the joint where the bottom chords
pass (the hinge of a pair of scissors) must be firmly connected and 2) the rafter
(top chord) feet must land on the bottom chords. If the bottom chords join to the

under-side of the top chords the assembly is said to be "scissor braced" rather than
a scissor truss.

BRIDGE TRUSS
Truss Bridge - Types, History, Facts and Design

Truss bridge is a type of bridge whose main element is a truss which is a structure of
connected elements that form triangular units. Truss is used because it is a very rigid
structure and it transfers the load from a single point to a much wider area. Truss bridges
appeared very early in the history of modern bridges and are economic to construct because
they use materials efficiently.
Before Industrial revolution (19th century), almost all bridges in use were made of
stone. But wood and iron can resist tension and compression better and stone and United
States had much wood so they made many wooden bridges in those times and most of
them were truss bridges. Town's lattice truss, a very simple variant of truss, was patented in
1820. First half of 19th century saw very few truss bridges made of iron although the first
patent for an iron truss bride was issued to Squire Whipple in 1841. But metal slowly started
to replace wood, and wrought iron bridges started appearing in the U.S. in the 1870s only to
be replaced by steel in 1880s and 1890s. In time some places (like Pennsylvania) continued
building truss bridges for long spans well into 1930s, while other (like Michigan) started
building standard plan concrete girder and beam bridges.

From the first truss bridge, engineers experimented with different forms of truss
bridges trying to find better shape and the one that will suit them for the particular
problems. Because of that we have today many forms of truss bridges. Truss bridge can
have deck (roadbed) on top (deck truss), in the middle (through truss), or at the bottom of
the truss. If the sides of the truss extend above the roadbed but are not connected, it is
called a pony truss or half-through truss.

Here are some more common variants of truss design for bridges:

Allan truss: a pony truss based on Howe truss. The first Allan truss was finished on
13 August 1894.
Bailey truss: made for military to be easily combined in various configurations.

Baltimore truss: made like Pratt truss but it has additional bracing in the lower
section of the truss which prevents buckling in the compression members.

Bollman truss: an all-metal truss with many independent tension elements which
makes for a strong bridge that is easy to assemble.

Burr arch truss: a combination of an arch and truss which gives a strong and rigid
bridge.

Howe truss: has vertical elements and diagonals that slope up towards the center
of the bridge.

K truss: has one vertical member and two oblique members in each panel (which
form a letter K).

Lenticular truss: uses a lens-shape truss which has an upper and lower curve and
diagonal elements between them. If the curves are above and below the roadbed it is a
lenticular pony truss.

Long truss: a variant of Howe truss but made of wood and used for covered
bridges.

Parker truss: a variant of Pratt truss that has a polygonal upper chord. If chord has
exactly five segments it is called camelback.

Pegram truss: has chords that are wider at the bottom but of the same length as
each other at the top.

Pratt truss: has vertical members and diagonals that slope downward to the center.
It is a variant commonly used for railroad bridges.

Vierendeel truss: has members that are not triangular but rectangular. Rare are
bridges made in this variant of truss because it is not cheap.

Warren truss: has longitudinal members joined only by angled cross-members.

They form equilateral triangles. It is relatively light but strong and economical truss.