TRUSS

BUILDING MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION – IV

Ar. INDUGEETHA B.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
MARIAN COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 1
 TRUSS
The frame work, usually of triangles and designed to
support the roof covering or ceiling over rooms, is
known as a roof truss.
TRUSS BRIDGE FORCES
A truss is structure comprising one or more
triangular units constructed with straight slender
members whose ends are connected at joints.

ADVANTAGES:
1. Cost effective
2. Can be installed easily
3. Unique properties of a triangular object allow
trusses to span across longer distances
4. A triangular truss maintains its shape, preventing
shift and sag. Thus giving stability to the structure.
5. Triangular shape - all of the weight applied to the
sides to be redistributed down and away from the
centre 2
 TRUSS
Flat trusses Pitched or common trusses

• Known as Parallel chord or Girders • Used to build sloped-roof structures

• For constructing flat roofs • Eg : Hip, gambrel or bowstring

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TRUSS

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 BASIC TRUSS MEMBERS
Truss : A “two- force member” is
a structural component where
force is applied to only two points.

Outside framed members : Chords

Inter connecting members : Webs
Function:

• Truss - carry and support the weight of

the roof deck and any finishing
material used to cover the roof

• Chords support the roof, while the

webs brace and stabilize the chords,
by distributing the load across the
entire truss to the bearing walls on
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either side
TRUSSED ROOF

Two king post trusses linked to support a roof.

1: ridge board,
2: purlins,
3: common rafters.

This is an example of a "double roof" with

principal rafters and common rafters.

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PARTS OF A TRUSS

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PARTS OF A TRUSS

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TRUSSED ROOFS
• Framed structures- trusses
• Span exceeds 4.8m
• No inside supporting walls or partition walls for the purlins

• Spacing of trusses based on the load on the roof, position of cross-walls,

span and material of the truss
• Spacing - generally 3m for wooden trusses

• Trusses carry ridge piece and purlins on which common rafters rest
• Trusses span in the same direction in which the common rafters run
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T
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 TRUSS
Scissors trusses: Gambrel Trusses :

• truss similar to a common truss, but in • Constructed symmetrically with four

this design two bottom chords slope slopes on the top chord
upward from the eave line to the king
post. • Two slopes are placed on each side
with lower slopes positioned at a steep
Bowstring trusses : angle and the upper slopes relatively
flat
• also known as Belfast trusses
• Provide more room below the centre of
• are similar to conventional “common the trusses since the limited framing in
trusses” except for the top chord, the middle of the trusses increases
which is constructed in a parabolic floor space
design.

• Designed to span large distances, such

as those required for the roof of an
aircraft hanger or ware house 11
CLERESTORY
• A clerestory roof is a roof with a vertical wall which sits between
the two sloping sides, which features a row of windows (or one
long, continuous window).

• The clerestory roof can be symmetrical, with a hipped or gable-

type design, or else it can be asymmetrical, resembling something
closer to a skillion roof.
• The clerestory became most highly developed and widely used in
the Romanesque and Gothic periods.
• In Roman architecture many great halls were lighted with
clerestories.

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TRUSS TERMINOLOGY

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TRUSS TERMINOLOGY

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 TRUSS TERMINOLOGY

• Bearing width:
• the width dimension of the member providing support
for the truss (usually 3.5” or 5.5”)
• bearing must occur at a truss joint location

• Cantilever:
• the structural portion of a truss which extends beyond
the support
• Cantilever dimension is measured from the outside of
the face of the support to the heel joint
• Cantilever in different from the overhang
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TRUSS TERMINOLOGY

• Camber: An upward vertical

displacement built into a truss

bottom chord to compensate for

deflection due to dead load

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TRUSS TERMINOLOGY

• Chords:
• The outer members of a truss that define the envelope or shape

• Top Chord:
• An inclined or horizontal member that establishes the upper
edge of a truss
• Subjected to compressive and bending stresses

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TRUSS TERMINOLOGY
• Bottom Chord:
• The horizontal (and inclined i.e. scissor trusses) member
defining the lower edge of a truss, carrying ceiling loads
where applicable
• Subject to tensile and bending stresses(on a simply
supported, not cantilevered truss)

• Clear span:
• The horizontal distance between inside faces or support
• Connector plate:
• A galvanized steel plate with teeth punched out on one
side, which is hydraulically pressed or rolled into both sides
of a joint to fasten chord and web members together 18
TRUSS TERMINOLOGY
• Girder:
• A main truss supporting secondary
trusses framing into it

• Heel:
• The joint in a pitched truss where
top and bottom chords meet

• Joint:
• The point of intersection of a chord
with the web or webs,or an
attachment of pieces of lumber 19
TRUSS TERMINOLOGY
• Lateral brace:
• A permanent member connected to a web or
chord member at right angle to the truss to
restrain the member against a buckling
failure, or the truss against overturning

• Overhang:
• The extension of the top chord beyond the
heel joint

• Panel:
• The chord segment between two adjacent
joints
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TRUSS TERMINOLOGY
• Panel point:
• The point of intersection of a chord with the web or webs

• Peak:
• Highest point on a truss where the sloped top chords meet

• Plate:
• Either horizontal 2 x member at the top of a stud wall offering
bearing for trusses or a shortened form of connector plate,
depending on usage of the word. 21
TRUSS TERMINOLOGY
• Plumb cut:
• Top chord cut to provide for vertical (plumb)
installation of fascia

• Scarf cut:
• For pitched trusses only – the sloping cut of
upper portion of the bottom chord at the heel
joint

• Slope (pitch):
• The units of horizontal run, in one unit of
vertical rise for inclined members
• Usually expressed as 3:12, 5:12 etc
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TRUSS TERMINOLOGY
• Splice point:
• The location where chord member is spliced to form one continuous member
• It may occur at a panel point but is more often placed at ¼ panel length away from
the point

• Tie:
• A temporary bottom chord brace, may be omitted if ceiling is attached directly to
bottom chord and provides adequate lateral support

• Truss:
• A pre-built structural member capable of supporting a load over a given span.
• A truss consists of one or more triangles in its construction
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 TRUSS TERMINOLOGY
• Pitched truss:
• Any truss in which the top chord is sloped and bottom chord is horizontal

• Flat truss:
• A truss which has the top chord parallel to the bottom chord over the entire
length of the truss

• Webs:
• A pre-built structural member capable of supporting a load over a given
span.
• A truss consists of one or more triangles in its construction
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TUBULAR STEEL TRUSS
• Used for large span constructions such as factories, industry
worksheds, shopping malls, huge exhibition centre, multiplexes etc.
• Generally for spans : 25-30m

Advantages :
• 30-40% less surface area than that of a equivalent rolled steel shape.
Therefore cost of maintenance, cost of painting or protective
coatings reduce considerably

• Moisture or dirt do not collect on the smooth external surface of the

tubes. Therefore, the possibility of corrosion also reduces

• The ends of the tubes are sealed. As a result of this, the interior
surface is not subjected to corrosion. The interior surface do not
need any protective treatment.

• They have more torsional resistance than other section of equal

weight. 25
NORTHLIGHT ROOF TRUSS
• One of the oldest and economical methods
of covering large areas

• Traditionally used for short spans in

industrial workshop type buildings

• They allow maximum benefit to be gained

from natural lighting by the use of glazing on
the steeper pitch which generally faces north
or north-east to reduce the solar gain.

• Generally used when the floor span exceeds

15m
• Can be used for spans from 20-30m

• Used for industrial buildings, drawing rooms

etc. 26
SPACE FRAMES
• Space trusses are pin-jointed and as a result, their
members are in tension or compression and do not
transfer moment or shear

• Space frames are also called ‘braced frameworks’,

‘latticed structures’ or ‘reticulated structures’

• either constructed from prefabricated modular units

(modular system) or individual members assembled
together using different types of connectors or nodes
(nodular system)

• Salient features:

• Enormous spanning capability

• Light weight
• High aesthetics
• High resale value
• Higher safety factor
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• Extension with additional units
SPACE FRAMES

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SPACE FRAMES

Different types of nodes 29