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Trusses

Trusses are structures made of slender members connected at joints that form triangular patterns. They are used to support roofs and bridges. Plane trusses have members that all lie in one plane, while space trusses have members in different planes. Trusses can be perfect, redundant, or deficient depending on the number of members. Common truss types include Pratt, Howe, Warren and Fink trusses. Truss members only experience axial forces and truss analysis involves applying the method of joints or method of sections to solve for member forces through equilibrium equations.

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396 views21 pages

Trusses

Trusses are structures made of slender members connected at joints that form triangular patterns. They are used to support roofs and bridges. Plane trusses have members that all lie in one plane, while space trusses have members in different planes. Trusses can be perfect, redundant, or deficient depending on the number of members. Common truss types include Pratt, Howe, Warren and Fink trusses. Truss members only experience axial forces and truss analysis involves applying the method of joints or method of sections to solve for member forces through equilibrium equations.

Uploaded by

Shepherd Nhanga
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Trusse

known as pin-jointed frames


s also
made up of slender members with pin-jointed
ends
carry loads at joints
members carry only tension or compression
used for supporting roofs and bridge decks
Plane truss:- all members lie in one plane
Space truss:- members lie in different planes

Examples of plane and space trusses

Perfect, Redundant and Deficient


Triangular truss has three joints and
Trusses

three members
Each new joint is created by adding
two extra members and in this way a
stable, perfect configuration is

Perfect truss:- has just enough members to


resist loads
without experiencing
excessive
deformation of its shape

Deficient truss:- has less members


than those
required for a
perfect truss.
-cannot retain its shape when
loading is applied

Redundant truss:- has more members


than those
required in a
perfect truss

Types of Trusses
Selection of truss type depends on
intended use
Pratt, Howe, Warren, K trusses used to
support bridge decks & large-span roof
systems
Fink truss supports gable-ended roofs

Why do the members slope in different


directions?

Actual
truss

Determinacy
Basic triangle of truss is statically
determinate
Truss built up by addition of 2 members
and 1 joint
i.e. number of new members = 2 x
number of new joints

For a truss which is statically determinate


internally

Statically indeterminate
Unstable
e.g. Test the statical determinacy of the
trusses below

NB Sometimes equation
satisfied but truss is a mechanism or
statically indeterminate
e.g.

m = 9 , j = 6 , 2j 3 = 9 = m
BUT truss is unstable

Analysis of Trusses
Assumptions made:
Member ends are pin-connected
Loads act at the joint
Member cross-sections are uniform
Member self-weight is negligible
Remember: truss members carry only
axial loads

Methods of AnalysisMethod of Joints

At each joint forces in members and


loads act as a concurrent system of
forces (forces act at same point) so two
equations of equilibrium can be formed
Begin by selecting a joint with only two
unknowns and solve for these using
equilibrium equations
Move onto the next joint with only two
unknown forces and in this way work
from joint to joint in the truss until all
member forces have been determined

e.g. Find all the forces in the members


of the truss shown below. Tabulate the
results.

Etc.

Finally

where

Methods of Analysis- Method


of Sections
First determine reactions
Draw a straight line which cuts
through at most three members
whose internal forces are unknown
The two separate portions of the truss
should be in equilibrium and constitute
a non-concurrent system of forces
Where to use method of sections:
(i) in large trusses where only a few
member forces are needed

e.g. Determine the forces in members


FH, HG and GI. All triangles are
equilaterals of side 4m.

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