Truss Design - 1

Prof. Dr.
Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi
PROPERTIES OF TRUSSES
Truss is a frame structure in which all the
members have axial forces due to the
following facts:
a. Members are arranged in triangles for
stability.
b. All the joints of a truss are actually
semi-rigid or fully rigid. However,
theoretically, these joints may be
considered as pin joints.
Prof. Dr. Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi
The analysis as a pin-jointed frame is

valid provided that the requirements
given in No.3 and 4 are satisfied.
c. Centroidal axes of all the members
meeting at a joint must intersect at a
single point.
d. The loads are only applied at the panel
points.
Following is the comparison between rigid

frames and trusses:
a. Joints are considered as having frictionless pins in
trusses with no moment at the member ends. In case
of rigid frames, the members are rigidly connected
having appreciable moments at the member ends.
b. The forces in case of trusses are only axial and

hence the members are equally stressed throughout
their cross-section. In rigid frames, due to bending
moment, the fibers of the cross-section away from
the neutral axis have maximum stresses and the
fibers close to the neutral axis have less stress.
c. Because of the above facts, the design of a member

in a case of a truss is economical as compared with
the members of a rigid frame. Hence, trusses become
economical in those cases where the corresponding
construction cost is less as a percentage of the total
cost.
TYPES OF TRUSSES
Trusses can broadly be divided into two

categories, Type -I trusses are preferred in
those areas where snowfall is common and
Type-II trusses used in cot climates.
The roofs of Type-I trusses are inclined at

greater angles (10° to 60°) to drain part of the
snow falling on the roof surface.
These may also be preferred if bending

moments are larger near the mid-span and
zero at the ends.
The roofs of Type-II trusses are either nearly

flat or are inclined at angles less than 10°.
Type-I Trusses
Upper Chord
Slope
h = rise
q
l = span
Lower Chord
King Post (l £ 12m)
Queen Post (l £ 12m)

Fink Truss (l = 8 - 10m)
Fan Truss (l = 10 - 15m)
Compound Fink or French

(l = 10 - 15m)
Subdivided Fink
(l = 20 - 30m)
R = (4h + l) / 8h
Bowstring
Parker or Bowstring
R = (4h + l) / 8h R = (4r + l) / 8r
h
Crescent Truss
Compound Fan Modified or Cambered Fink

(l = 15 - 25m) (l = 20 - 30m)
Pratt (l = 10 - 30m) Howe (l = 10 - 30m)

If the forces in the diagonal members are all compressive and

that in the vertical members are all tensile, the truss is called
Howe Truss.
In a reverse way if the forces in all the diagonal members are

tensile while the forces in all the vertical members are
compressive, the truss is called Pratt Truss.
The difference between these two trusses is only the

orientation of the diagonals in relation to the applied loads.
In case of Warren Truss, the diagonals alternate in

orientation and also in the sense of forces in them. For all the
roof trusses, the loads are in general applied on the top
chord.
North Light
Saw Tooth
(l = 5 - 8m)
(l = 5 - 8m)
Glass
Ketchum’s Modified Saw Tooth Monitor

(l = 8 - 10m) (l = 10 - 15m)
Type-II Trusses
0 -10°
l/8
l/12
Modified Pratt
(l £ 40m)
Modified Howe
(l £ 40m)
Warren (l £ 45m)
K-Truss (l £ 60m)
Warren (l £ 40m) Cantilever Truss

TERMS RELATED WITH TRUSSES

Pitch of a Roof Truss
Pitch of a roof truss is defined as the maximum
rise of top chord of the truss (h) divided by total
span of the truss. For symmetrical trusses the
pitch is equal to double the inclination of the top
chord.
pitch = h / l
Inclination of a Roof Truss

The slope (tanq) or angle (q) of top chord of a
truss with respect to the horizontal is called
inclination of the truss.
For un-symmetrical trusses, inclination may
be completely independent of the pitch of the
trusses.
For type-I trusses, q £ 60°
with most suitable range of 20° - 30°.
For type-II trusses, q £ 10°

Height / Rise of Truss

The maximum height of the truss (h) with respect
to the ends of the bottom chord is called height or
rise of a truss. The highest point is called crown
of the truss.
For type-I trusses, h = l /3 to l /5

with most suitable value of l /4.
For type-II trusses, h = l /8 to l /12

with most suitable value of l /10.
Panel Length
In case of roof trusses, the distance between
two consecutive top chord joints is known as
the panel length.
Panel lengths can be the projected horizontal
or the actual inclined lengths.
Panel length for type-I trusses = 1 to 3m
with most appropriate value of 1.8m.
Panel length for type-II trusses = 3 to 4m

Purlins
These are small beams that run perpendicular to the
trusses and rest at the panel points of the trusses.
The purlins provide lateral bracing to the top chord
and carry the load of the roof transferring it to the
panel points of the trusses.
The span of these beams is equal to the center-to-
center spacing of the trusses.
Usually the purlins are continuous over the trusses
but are designed as simply supported for
convenience of design and construction.
J-bolts
Span of B Truss
Truss
Purlin
A A
B Sag Rod
Column
Spacing of
Trusses
TOP VIEW
TIE ROD
PURLIN
ROOF COVERING A
SAG ROD
J - BOLT
CLIP OR CLEAT ANGLE
SECTION BB
C – SECTION PURLIN
CLEAT ANGLE
TOP CHORD OF TRUSS
SECTION AA
Clip or Cleat Angles

These angles are previously bolted, riveted, or
welded to the top chord above which the purlin
may rest while it is being fastened to the truss.
Sag Rods
When channels are used for purlins, it is good

design practice to use sag rods to take the
tangential component of the roof loads.
These are placed either at mid span or at the third
points, depending on the weight of the roof, the
span of the purlins, and the pitch of the roof truss.
Max. span of purlin for one sag rod = 6 m (light roofing)
= 4.5 m (heavy roof with pitch £ 1/4)
For roofs steeper than a pitch of 1/4, two sag rods should be
used for a purlin span of 4.5m.
Roof Covering/Sheathing
Light roofing: Corrugated Galvanized Iron

(G.I.) sheets
Corrugated Asbestos Cement
Concrete (A.C.C.) sheets.
Heavy roofing: Clay or cement tiles

Gypsum tiles
Slate tiles
Tar plus gravel
J-Bolt
J-bolt, also called hook bolt, is a bolt in the
form of letter “J” used to fix roof-sheathing or
wall sheathing to purlins and other structural
members.
Eave
The end of truss lower in level along with its
support is called eave of the truss.
Eave’s Gutter
A channel is provided at eave-level to collect
rainwater, which is called eave’s gutter.
Rafter
Sometimes beams in addition to purlins (in a
perpendicular direction) are provided to support
the roof called rafters.
Strut
Relatively short length columns without the
chances of buckling are called struts.
Spacing of Roof Trusses
Span of Center-to-
truss (m) center spacing
(m)
15-18 3.5-6
27-30 4.5-7.3
> 42 15-18
For very large spacing of trusses, purlins may

themselves be provided in the form of trusses.
LOADS ON TRUSS ROOVES
All the gravity or vertical loads acting on the

building trusses are first calculated in terms of
the loads acting per one square meter of the
horizontally projected area (or plan area)
having the units N/m2 or kN/m2.
The wind loads are calculated per square
meter of the actual inclined roof surface in the
same units.
Dead Loads
Dead load is the self weight of different

components of the structure itself.
Its magnitude and point of application does
not appreciably change with time.
Dead load on a truss will comprise of loads
of roof coverings, perpendicularly running
beams (called purlins), connections,
supporting elements (called braces) and self
load of the truss.
Superimposed Loads
All the loads externally acting on the

structure leaving its own weight are called
superimposed loads.
Dead Loads of Truss Roof Components
The weights of various structural

components per unit plan area are as
follows:
a) Asbestos cement concrete sheets (corrugated) 150-300 N/m2
b) Corrugated galvanized iron sheets 60-300 N/m2

c) Light weight R. C. slabs, 60-90 mm thick. 1200-2000 N/m2
d) Slate, Gypsum and other tiles. 350-400 N/m2
e) Glazing 6 mm or wire woven glass. 250-300 N/m2
f) Tar & gravel roofing. 400-500 N/m2
g) Insulation boards. 50-80 N/m2
h) Purlins i) For slate roof. 100-150 N/m2
ii) For glazed roof. 75-125 N/m2
iii) For corrugated sheeting. 60-90 N/m2
i) Bracings 15-60 N/m2
j) Miscellaneous. 50-70 N/m2
k) Self weight of truss. 100-250 N/m2
To obtain a better estimate of the truss self

weight for a 4 m spacing of trusses and a
pitch of 1/4 to 1/5 with corrugated sheeting,
weight per unit area of plan may be taken as:
é Span in metres ù
10ê + 5ú N / m2
ë 3 û
whereas, for all other cases, the Thayer
Formula may be used:
w
W = (0.37 L + 170
. )
S
where W = Weight of truss (N/m2)

w = Total load per horizontal plan
acting on the truss (N/m2)
S = Spacing of truss (m)
L = Span of the truss (m)
Snow Load
Snow load is calculated according to max. expected
depth of snow in a particular locality and density of
snow.
Maximum density of snow = 7860 N/m3
The density of snow significantly varies with the
amount of compactness.
Live Load (or Minimum Snow Load)

1000 N/m2 for q £ 10° for no access to roof.
2000 N/m2 for q £ 10° when access is provided to

roof.
(1130 - 13q) N/m2 for 10° < q £ 20°
(1430 - 28q) N/m2 for 20° < q £ 30°
600 N/m2 for q > 30°
Wind Load
The windward side is the face of the building
towards wind and the leeward side is the
face of the building opposite to wind.
Windward Leeward
side side
q
Wind
Direction
Figure 7.4. Wind Load.
Design wind pressure P = Ce Cq qs Iw

where Ce is the combined height, exposure and
gust coefficient
In open areas and for height up to 10 m Ce = 1.25

10 to 20 m Ce = 1.45
20 to 30 m Ce = 1.61
qs = wind stagnation pressure at the

standard height of 10 m.
= 0.0475 V 2 (N/m2)
where
V = basic wind velocity in km/h
Iw = 1.0 for ordinary buildings.
\ P = 1250 Cq (N/m2) for V=145 km/h and
height up to 10m in open areas.
Value of Pressure Coefficient (Cq)

Windward roof
q = 0° to 9.5° Cq = 0.7 outward
9.5° to 37.0° Cq = 0.9 outward or
0.3 inward
which ever is critical
37° to 45° Cq = 0.4 inward
> 45° Cq = 0.7 inward
Leeward or flat roof Cq = 0.7 outward

Windward walls
Cq = 0.8 inward up to 6m height
0.87 inward for 6 to 12m height
Leeward walls
Cq = 0.5 inward up to 6m height
SELECTION OF MEMBERS OF
ROOF TRUSSES
1. For riveted and bolted trusses a pair of
angles back-to-back is the most common type of
member. For short spans and lightly loaded
trusses, a single angle is sometimes used,
mainly for tension members.
2. For larger riveted or bolted roof trusses T, W,
M, S, or two channels back-to-back sections may
be used for some of the members.
3. The two sections of a member are connected at

internals by filler plates (stay plates) with welding or
riveting to give slenderness ratio of single section
(where the two sections are not joined) lesser than
the slenderness ratio of the double section.
4. A minimum size member for practical reasons to
avoid too flimsy sections is often 2Ls 51 ´ 51 ´ 6.4.
5. An effort should be made to limit the width of
truss members because it has been found that
trusses with very wide members tend to have large
secondary forces.
6. The chord members of roof trusses often

consist of one section which is continuous
through several panel points. This may be
designed for the maximum force in any of the
parts in which it is continuous.
7. If structural T is used as top chord member for
a welded truss, gusset plates may be
unnecessary for top chord and web members
can be welded directly to the stems of the tees.
Selection of Truss Members Using

Angle Sections
1. For top chord members which are adjacent to
each other and have a force up to 25% lesser than
the maximum out of these members, same section
could be used which is designed for the maximum
force member.
However, for all other top chord members, same
depth section should be selected.
Same procedure applies to bottom chord members.
2. The corresponding members on left and right

of the truss should be designed for maximum
force because the hinge and roller supports may
be used on windward or leeward side.
4 4
3 5 3
1 5
1
2 6 2
3. All top and bottom chord members should be

double angles.
4. All compression members should be double
angles.
5. Web tension members may be single or double
angles depending upon the magnitude of force.
6. Zero force members should be single angles.
7. Stay plate spacing should be calculated for all
double angle sections.

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Truss Design - 1

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Prof. Dr.

Zahid Ahmad Siddiqi

The analysis as a pin-jointed frame is

Following is the comparison between rigid

b. The forces in case of trusses are only axial and

c. Because of the above facts, the design of a member

Trusses can broadly be divided into two

The roofs of Type-I trusses are inclined at

These may also be preferred if bending

The roofs of Type-II trusses are either nearly

Queen Post (l £ 12m)

Fink Truss (l = 8 - 10m)

Fan Truss (l = 10 - 15m)

Compound Fink or French

Compound Fan Modified or Cambered Fink

Pratt (l = 10 - 30m) Howe (l = 10 - 30m)

If the forces in the diagonal members are all compressive and

In a reverse way if the forces in all the diagonal members are

The difference between these two trusses is only the

In case of Warren Truss, the diagonals alternate in

Ketchum’s Modified Saw Tooth Monitor

Warren (l £ 40m) Cantilever Truss

TERMS RELATED WITH TRUSSES

Inclination of a Roof Truss

For type-II trusses, q £ 10°

Height / Rise of Truss

For type-I trusses, h = l /3 to l /5

For type-II trusses, h = l /8 to l /12

Panel length for type-II trusses = 3 to 4m

CLIP OR CLEAT ANGLE

TOP CHORD OF TRUSS

Clip or Cleat Angles

When channels are used for purlins, it is good

Light roofing: Corrugated Galvanized Iron

Heavy roofing: Clay or cement tiles

Spacing of Roof Trusses

For very large spacing of trusses, purlins may

LOADS ON TRUSS ROOVES

All the gravity or vertical loads acting on the

Dead load is the self weight of different

All the loads externally acting on the

The weights of various structural

b) Corrugated galvanized iron sheets 60-300 N/m2

To obtain a better estimate of the truss self

where W = Weight of truss (N/m2)

Live Load (or Minimum Snow Load)

2000 N/m2 for q £ 10° when access is provided to

(1430 - 28q) N/m2 for 20° < q £ 30°

600 N/m2 for q > 30°

Figure 7.4. Wind Load.

Design wind pressure P = Ce Cq qs Iw

In open areas and for height up to 10 m Ce = 1.25

qs = wind stagnation pressure at the

Value of Pressure Coefficient (Cq)

Leeward or flat roof Cq = 0.7 outward

3. The two sections of a member are connected at

6. The chord members of roof trusses often

Selection of Truss Members Using

2. The corresponding members on left and right

3. All top and bottom chord members should be

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