TRUSSES

2.1.3 Wind load

Wind load on the roof trusses, unless the roof slope is too high, would be usually uplift
force perpendicular to the roof, due to suction effect of the wind blowing over the roof.
Hence the wind load on roof truss usually acts opposite to the gravity load, and its
magnitude can be larger than gravity loads, causing reversal of forces in truss members.

The horizontal and vertical bracings employed in single and multi-storey buildings are also
trusses [Fig. 1(d)], used primarily to resist wind and other lateral loads. These bracings
minimize the differential deflection between the different frames due to crane surge in
industrial buildings. They also provide lateral support to columns in small and tall
buildings, thus increasing the buckling strength.

2.1.4 Earthquake load

Since earthquake load on a building depends on the mass of the building, earthquake loads
usually do not govern the design of light industrial steel buildings. Wind loads usually
govern. Howev er, in the case of industrial buildings with a large mass located at the roof,
the earthquake load may govern the design. These loads are calculated as per IS:1893-
1985.

2.2 Multi-Storey Buildings

The lateral load due to wind or earthquake may be resisted by vertical bracings acting as
trusses. These bracings, properly designed, make these buildings very stiff in resisting
lateral loads. Hence they are economical in the buildings of intermediate height ranges. In
the case of earthquake loading, stiff buildings may attract larger inertia force and hence
use of bracings may not be desirable.

2.3 Bridge Trusses

Trusses are used in bridges to transfer the gravity load of moving vehicles to supporting
piers. Depending upon the site conditions and the span length of the bridge, the truss may
be either through type or deck type. In the through type, the carriage way is supported at
the bottom chord of trusses. In the deck type bridge, the carriage way is supported at the
top chord of trusses. Usually, the structural framing supporting the carriage way is
designed such that the loads from the carriage way are transferred to the nodal points of
the vertical bridge trusses. More details of the trusses bridges are discussed in the chapter
on bridges.

3.0 ANALYSIS OF TRUSSES

Generally truss members are assumed to be joined together so as to transfer only the axial
forces and not moments and shears from one member to the adjacent members (they are

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