For pitched trusses, an effective depth-to-span ratio between 1:5 and 1:6

is recommended, and a minimum of not less than 1:7 unless special

consideration is given to deflection. Much deeper trusses may be used for
the sake of appearance, such as for the steeply pitched roofs popular in
churches.

It is desirable to use as few truss panels as the use of reasonable member

sizes will allow. This practice will mean fewer members to handle, fewer
joints to fabricate and assemble, and theoretically improved performance.
The number of panels usually should be determined by reasonable top-
chord sizes rather than by any fixed formula. For material of 2 to 4 in.
thickness, desirable panel length will usually be in the range of 6 to 10 ft.
Thus, a symmetrical truss of 3 0 ft span would probably have four panels
whereas a 40 ft truss might have either four or six, and an 80 ft truss
eight or ten.

ROOF CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS

Only two basic systems of roof construction need be considered in truss

design. One applies roof loads to the truss only at the panel points; the
other applies them either continuously, as with plank roofing; or at
intervals along the top, as with joints. The former system produces only
direct stress in the chord member; the latter introduces bending as well
as direct stress.

In terms of lumber alone, joints closely spaced along the chords or purlins
placed at and between panel points are more economical than purlins
placed only at the panel points because the latter require heavier plank
roofing or rafters and sheathing. However, labor costs are less if purlins
and planking are used instead of closely spaced joists because there are

fewer pieces to handle and fewer points at which the planking must be
nailed. Thick planks of the lighter species of wood, with special tongues
and grooves, are sometimes applied directly to the top chords in palee of
joists or purlins. They are probably the least expensive to install from a
labor standpoint. Plank roofing and heavy purlins offer improved fire
resistance, as do all heavy truss members compared to thinner or lighter
members. Purlins used at panel points do not introduce appreciable
bending in the top chord. They may therefore be desirable as a means of
keeping chord sizes reasonable, particularly for larger spans, heavier
loadings, and for flat, pitched, or other straight-chord trusses.

ROOF- TRUSS SPACING

There are no fixed rules for spacing trusses in buildings. Spacing may be
affected by roof framing, wall construction, size of material available,
loading conditions, and the column spacing desired for material handling
or traffic. In general, the greater the spacing, the more economical then
construction, and the longer the span, the more desirable the greater
spacing. Spacing limits are set by the purlin or joists sizes available for
framing between trusses.

Spacing is often more or less arbitrarily chosen because of its suitability

for a particular roof and wall construction or building function. For
example, if masonry walls are used, a truss spacing is frequently selected
that will fit the pilaster spacing required for the lateral support of the
walls. If roof sheathing material is to be applied directly to the trusses
without auxiliary framing-in order to save the labour of placing the
purlins-the spacing might vary from, say, 2 ft with 1-in. sheathing, to 7 to
9 ft, with 2 in. plank, or to still greater dimensions with heavier plank. If
joists or purlins are used between trusses, the spacing might be
determined by economical and available joints sizes although common
usage would probably call for a spacing in the range of 14 to 20 ft. If
spacing exceeds 20 ft, the availability of required sizes and lengths should
definitely be considered. If spacing is desired that is greater than that
suitable for sawed purlins, either glued-laminated purlins or trussed
purlins may be used instead.

PURLINS TRUSS

If the spacing of trusses requires longer purlins than are commercially

avilable, purlins trusses are frequently used. Their design is similar to that
of any simple truss. If purlin trusses are inclined from the vertical, that is,
if they do not have their top and bottom, chords in the same vertical
plane, as when used on pitched trusses, it is important that bracing be
provided to keep the bottom chords in proper position.

ROOF- TRUSS BRACING AND ANCHORAGE

Bracing and anchorage is necessary to hold trusses and truss members in

proper position so that they can resist vertical loads as well as lateral
loads such as wind, impact, or earthquake. Although roof framing will
usually serve as lateral bracing for the top-chord members, it is important
that adequate lateral supports be provided for the bottom-chord members
(see Fig3.10), and also that consideration be given to the possible need
for vertical- sway bracing between top and bottom chords of adj acent
trusses (see (Fig. 3.11). Horizontal cross-bracing is sometimes required in
the plane of either the top and bottom chord, particularly in long buildings
in which the diaphragm action of the roof framing is not adequate for
end-wall forces, or in which side-wall loads are resisted by end walls or
truss and its support are not designed as a bent to resist the lateral load.

Trusses must be securely anchored to properly designed walls or columns

and columns in turn anchored to foundations. Unless some other provision
made for lateral loads on the side walls and on the vertical projection of
the roof-such as for diaphragm action in walls and roof sheathing- lateral
resistance should be provided in the column members by means of knee

braces or fixity at the column base. The bracing should be designed and
detailed with the same care as the truss itself and not left to the judgment
of the contractor. The bracing requirements here suggested are
minimums, and are not dependent on actual lateral-load analysis or on
local code requirements. Vertical cross-bracing should be installed at the
bottom chord at the location of the vertical bracing and be continuous
from end.
If required, bottom lateral bracing usually appears in same sections as
vertical sway bracing. Members are fastened to truss or to horizontal
runners and plate. Wood members may be used, or steel rods. Hangers
may be used from roof framing to eliminate sag in members. Continuous
runners run full length of building. They may be nearly square, solid
members or built up in “T”,”U”, or “I” shapes. They are fasten to bottom
chord or web members near chord. Built-up runners should be spiked and
bolted together. For top lateral bracing, diagonal roof sheathing well
applied to joists or purlins-with these in turn securely fastened to the
truss is usually sufficient. Sometimes, however, bracing similar to bottom
lateral bracing should be applied in the plane of the top chords. Design
Conditions
 Vertical sway bracing is to be used in end section as a minimum, possibly
two sections at each end and near mid span for long buildings. It consists
of wood members or steel rods fastened to the truss, roof structure, or
runners. Column-and-wall bracing should be used where possible, it may
consist of diagonal sheathing with studs or girts, let-in braing, or cross-
bracing. Crossing may be of wood members or steel rods.

TYPICAL ROOF TRUSS DESIGN DRAWING

I. DESIGN LOADING - Top and bottom chord
dead and live loads in pounds per square foot used
in designing the roof or floor truss.
II. UNIT STRESS INCREASE - This is a short
term loading stress increase allowed for the lumber
and any fasteners in the lumber.
III. LUMBER SPECIFICATIONS - Lumber size
and structural grade required for each member of
the floor or roof truss design.
IV. PANEL POINT LOAD - The uniform live and
dead loads are transferred to panel points for
VIII. HEEL - The heel is the point on the truss
where the top chord intersects the bottom chord.
IX. SLOPE - The amount of vertical rise compared
to horizontal run of floor of roof truss members.
X. PANEL POINTS - The panel points of truss
denote the intersections of the webs with the
chords.
XI. PEAK - The peak is the intersection of two
separate top chords generally at the centerline of
the truss.
determining axial forces. XII. SPLICE - The splice is the point where two
top chords or bottom chords are butted together
V. AXIAL FORCE - The internal force compression
to form a single member.
or tension, acting along the length of each member.
XIII. SPAN - The span is the length of which the
VI. GAGE - The gage of truss plates used on the
roof truss or floor truss has been designed.
truss design. It could be either 20, 18, or 16 gage.
XIV. NOTES/DISCLAIMER BLOCKS - Some notes
VII. RATING - The rating is the particular truss
that apply to all truss designs.
plate holding ability in pounds per tooth.

View Typical Roof Truss Layout HERE.

SUCCESSFUL DESIGN of FLOOR/FLAT or ROOF TRUSSES

requires the provision of the following information:

 Type/style of truss required.

 The length of the bottom chord (overall length and clear span.) See COMMON TRUSS
DETAILS.
 Top and bottom chord live and dead loads.
 The horizontal distance from the end of the bottom chord to the bottom edge of the
top chord (overhang length.)
 The number of trusses required. (trusses are most often spaced at from 12" to 24"
centers.)
 Style/type of cut for the ends of the top chord.
 Type/style of gable end(s) and special trusses (party walls, etc.) if applicable.
 Roof pitch or slope.
 Soffit framing design detail.
 Slope of interior/bottom chord (scissors truss.)
 Any other special requirements such as cantilevers and girders.

COMMON ROOF TRUSS DESIGN TERMS

ALLOWABLE UNIT STRESS INCREASE – A COMBINED STRESS – The combination of axial

percentage increase in the stress permitted in a
member, based on the length of time that the load
causing the stress acts on the member. The shorter
the duration of the load, the higher the percent
increase in the allowable stress.
and bending stresses acting on a member
simultaneously, such as occurs in the top chord
(compression + bending) or bottom chord (tension +
bending) of a truss.
AXIAL FORCE – A push (compression) or pull
(tension) acting along the length of a member.
Usually measured in pounds.
AXIAL STRESS – The axial force acting at a point
along the length of a member, divided by the cross-
sectional area of the member. Usually measured in
pounds per square inch.
CONCENTRATED LOAD – Additional loading
centered at a given point. An example is a crane or
hoist hanging from the bottom chord at a panel
point.
DEAD LOAD – Any permanent load such as the
weight of the member itself, purlins, sheathing,
roofing, ceiling, etc.

BENDING MOMENT – A measure of the bending DEFLECTION – Downward vertical movement of a

effect on a member due to forces acting
perpendicular to the length of the member. The
bending moment at the given point along a member
equals the sum of all perpendicular forces, either to
the left or right of the point, times their
corresponding distances from the point. Usually
measured in inch-pounds.
BENDING STRESS – The force per square inch of
area acting at a point along the length of a member
resulting from the bending moment applied at that
point. Usually measured in pounds per square inch.
truss due to dead and live loads.
LIVE LOAD – Any loading which is not of a
permanent nature such as snow, wind, movable
concentrated loads, furniture, etc.
REACTION – Forces acting on a truss through its
supports that are equal but opposite to the sum of
the dead and live load thereby holding the truss in a
stable position.
STRESS DIAGRAM – Graphical solution of axial
forces as they interact within the members of a
truss.

What is a Truss?

 In Architecture and Structural Engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more

triangular units constructed with straight slender members whose ends are connected at

joints referred to as nodes.

 External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and

result in forces in the members which are either tensile or compressive forces.

 Moments (torsional forces) are explicitly excluded because, and only because, all the

joints in a truss are treated as revolutes.

In this article, we are going to discuss the various types of roof trusses in wood and steel and

their uses in various kinds of construction.

Different types of Wooden and Steel Roof Trusses:

1. King Post Truss

 2. Queen Post Truss

3. Howe Truss

4. Pratt Truss

5. Fan Truss

6. North Light Roof Truss

7. Quadrangular Roof Truss

Trusses for large span constructions

 Tubular Steel Roof Truss

 Tubular Monitor Steel Roof Truss

King Post Truss

King Post roof truss (spans upto8M)

 King Post Truss is a wooden truss.

 It can also be built of combination of wood and steel.

 It can be used for spans upto 8m.

Queen Post Truss

 Queen Post Truss (spans upto 10M)

 Queen Post Truss is also a wooden truss.

 It can be used for spans upto 10m.

Howe Truss

Howe Truss (spans upto 6M to 30M)

 It is made of combination of wood and steel.

 The vertical members or tension members are made of steel.

 It can be used for spans from 6-30m.

Pratt Truss
 Pratt truss (spans upto 6M to 10M)

 Pratt Truss is made of steel.

 These are less economical than the Fink Trusses.

 Vertical members are tension and diagonal members are compression.

 Fink Trusses are very economical form of roof trusses.

 It can be used for spans from 6-10m.

Fan Truss

Fan Truss (spans upto 10M to 15M)

 It is made of steel.

 Fan trusses are form of Fink roof truss.

 In Fan Trusses, top chords are divided into small lengths in order to provide supports for

purlins which would not come at joints in Fink trusses.

 It can be used for spans from 10-15m.

North Light Roof Truss

North light roof truss (spans upto 20M to 30M)

 When the floor span exceeds 15m, it is generally more economical  to change from a

simple truss arrangement to one employing wide span lattice girders which support trusses

at right angles.

 In order to light up the space satisfactorily, roof lighting has to replace or supplement,

side lighting provision must also be made for ventilation form the roof.

 One of the oldest and economical methods of covering large areas is the North Light and

Lattice girder.

 This roof consists of a series of trusses fixed to girders. The short vertical side of the

truss is glazed so that when the roof is used in the Northern Hemisphere, the glazed

portion faces North for the best light.

 It can be used for spans from 20-30m.

 Used for industrial buildings, drawing rooms etc.

Quadrangular roof Trusses

 Quadrangular Roof Truss (for large spans)

 These trusses are used for large spans such as railway sheds and Auditoriums.

Large Span Trusses

Large span trusses

Tubular Steel roof trusses are used for large span constructions such as factories, industry

worksheds, shopping malls, huge exhibition centres, multiplexes etc. They are generally

used for spans as large as 25-30m.

There is a similar kind of a truss called “Tubular Steel Monitor Roof Truss“. There are

projections on the roofs called “Monitors” to admit daylight into the space.

Tubular Steel Roof Truss

 It is in two halves with bolted joints at P and Q, the remaining joints being 5mm fillet

welds made in the workshop.

 The main tie member rises 130mm from L to N to counteract any appearance of sag

that would be evident if it were horizontal.

 A bend a N reduces the midspan height to 2m so that the half truss is a manageable

size for transportation.

Tubular Steel roof Truss

 Details of Tubular steel roof truss

 The eaves detail L is given at G, where the rafters and the main tie tubes are fillet welded

to an end plate.

 The site connection to the column is with 16mm diameter bolts using an angle cleat, a

further angle bracket at the top is used for the purlin attachment . Small plates are welded

to the purlin for this purpose, this purlin also acts as a sheeting rail for the side cladding.

 The roof covering in this thickness of asbestos sheeting which should have bitumen

bonded glass wool insulation between the sheets.

 The ridge joint at E show plates which are welded to the rafters, these are bolted to the

four site bolts.

 The plates are used to connect vertical end tubes of the two halves of the truss.

 The corresponding joint at Q of the tie member is given at J and K, the two bottom holes

in the circular plate are used to fix a longitudinal tie at right angles to the trusses, the two

holes above these can also be used to fix braces against the gable walls of the building in

the end bays.

 Steel truss on Terrace

Advantages of Tubular Steel Roof Trusses

 Structures designed for material handling equipments (e.g., a bridge and a tower crane)

where weight savings may be very substantial economic consideration.

 30% to 40% less surface area than that of an equivalent rolled steel shape. Therefore, the

cost of maintenance, cost of painting or protective coatings reduce considerably.

 The moisture and dirt do not collect on the smooth external surface of the tubes.

Therefore, the possibility of corrosion also reduces.

 The ends of 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 the equal weight.

 They have a higher frequency vibrations under dynamic loading than the other sections

including the solid round one.

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Tubular Steel Monitor Roof truss | Large Span Constructions

Large span constructions, Roof coverings, steel trusses, Trussed constructions, Tubular Steel

Monitor Roof truss

Steel Trusses
The trusses are structural members and comprise of one or more triangular units constructed

with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. The triangular

members arranged in series and supported on the walls.

Major use of steel trusses is being done in the construction of large span structures such as

industries, factories, Auditoriums, Cinema Theatres, Shopping Malls, Concert Halls etc.
 Trussed Bridge

But the use of steel trusses is not limited to various types only. Major use of trusses is also seen

in the construction of bridges.

Roof coverings used over Steel trusses

RCC roof can be used over the trussed construction but usually to keep the roof lightweight,

asbestos sheets are used as roof covering.

Plastics sheets are also used as roof covering.

In this article, we are going to discuss in detail about the Tubular Monitor Roof Truss.

“Tubular Steel Roof Truss” is also largely used for large span constructions but the lighting

arrangements in these kind of roof is different from that of “Tubular Monitor Roof Truss”

Tubular Monitor Roof Truss

 This is a flat roof with raised portions called monitors, used to admit light.

 This type of roofing gives a more uniform level of daylighting than North light system.

 Main lattice girders span the shorter distance.

 Tubular Steel Monitor Roof Truss

 Lattice girders connect between the main columns and intermediately to the main girder.

 The depth of the girder is about 1/8th or 1/12th of the span.

 The monitor frame tubes are welded to the monitor girder, these are roofed on the top

surface and have patent glazing to the tiles.

 Curved socket plates are welded to the column in two halves, the column arrives on the

side with the bottom sockets in position and the top ones are site welded after positioning

of the girder.

Details of Tubular Steel Monitor Roof Truss

 A detail at D is at the foot of the glazed opening light. A metal enclosure plate is screwed

to the roof decking and to the Purlin angle.

 After roofing, felt is laid, the roof is sealed by a lead flashing.

 The glazing bars are screwed to angle frame to which the opening gear is attached.
  Detail at G is shown at F is a junction of the monitor roof and the top of the glazed

opening light.

 The angle purlin is bolted to a tee cleat welded to the top tube of the monitor. Welding is

done instead of bolting.

Uses of Tubular Steel Monitor Roof Truss

It is used in large span constructions such as:

 Factories

 Large Community Meeting Halls

 Industrial Work Zone

 Shopping Malls

It is seen that these trusses are used in large span structures that require large amount of natural

lighting for their efficient functioning.