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A truss, or lattice structure, is a structural assembly of smallinterconnected elements.

Trusses are formed by an interconnected assembly of relativelysmall elements, which create a lattice arrangement. The overall form,size and shape of the truss is as important as the strength of theindividual components, and a wide variety of design options isavailable.

A truss acts like a beam, with bending resisted by the couple createdby forces in the top and bottom members.

When an I-shaped beam is subjected to simple bending it can beseen that the bulk of resistance to bending moment is offered by acouple consisting of the forces in the flanges multiplied by thedistance between them. Accepting that little error is involved inassuming that all resistance to bending is offered in this way, themost efficient system will be one in which the flange forces arereduced to a minimum to save material, and the distance betweenincreased accordingly.

Structural principles

Shear forces are resisted by the internal members.This, however, leaves the problem of accommodating shear forceswhich, in the case of the I-beam, were absorbed by the web. Tocontinue to provide a solid web would waste a lot of material. As analternative, discrete members running diagonally, and sometimesvertically, are used to carry the shear. The resulting system, giventhe generic name of a truss, will carry loads over large spans withgreat economy.Trusses are structurally efficient and particularly popular for longspan roofs.

Trusses are highly efficient, able to span considerable distance, andthey are visually light. The economy in use of materials has led to theuse of truss systems in preference to beams in a large number ofsituations, both in the vertical and horizontal planes. They becamepopular solutions to the problem of roofing in large clear areas suchas factories, workshops and railway stations. In these situations theincreased structural depth inherent in truss structures was not undulypunitive. In contrast, their use as floor support systems washampered by their increased depth.

Long span truss roof

Trusses are typically used for spans of between 10 - 100m, with aspan:depth ratio of between 10:1 and 15:1.

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Introduction

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Introduction | Tata Steel Construction http://www.tatasteelconstruction.com/en/reference/teaching-resources/a...

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