BOWSTRING ROOFING

BA17ARC001 Aanchal Bagde

BA17ARC002 Aditya Jaiswal
BA17ARC007 Anjaly Binoy
BA17ARC018 Kannuri Roshini
BA17ARC019 Karra Rutwik Reddy
BA17ARC021 Kruti Navneet Bhattad
BA17ARC024 Varsha Madisetty
BA17ARC029 Mrunal Suryawanshi
BA17ARC031 Naina Bomblay
BA17ARC032 Niharika Dhoble
BA17ARC035 Parnavee Pathak
BA17ARC056 Swarna Ananya
• A bowstring truss is a structural
device commonly used in bridge-
building and, less often, in
industrial architecture.
• Used to span wide, column-free
spaces, it consists of an arched
beam (the bow) joined at each
end by a straight beam (the
string), with diagonal support
beams joining the two.
• Named for their shape, bowstring
trusses were first used for arched
truss bridges often confused with
tied-arch bridges.
• A structural truss consisting of a
curved top chord meeting a bottom
chord at each end.
• While similar in appearance to a
tied-arch bridge, a bowstring truss
has diagonal load-bearing
members:
TYPICAL TRUSS PROFILE FOR
ARCH-RIB TRUSSES
•Multi-Member Chords
•Segmental Upper Chord
•Inside Shoes at Heels in
earliest trusses
•Outside Shoes at Heels in
Later Construction
•Inside Shoes Tended to
cause Splitting in Lower
Chords at Heel Connection
DESIGN OF A BOWSTRING TRUSS
• Bowstring trusses typically feature a parabolically shaped top chord constructed of
several wood elements (laminations) mechanically connected through the depth of the
member.
• The bottom chord is often constructed of straight timber members with bolted splices.
• Both the top and bottom chords consist of two parallel members separated by a gap.
• The gap accommodates connections to vertical and diagonal web members which
frame in between the chord members.
DESIGN OF A BOWSTRING TRUSS
• The web elements are either discrete members or are a lattice system (continuous
arrangement of web members).
• The top and bottom chords are typically connected by a U-shaped steel strap that
wraps around the end of the truss and is bolted to the chord members.
• The ends of the truss bear on columns or are situated inside pockets within masonry
walls.
• The typical span for these trusses is between 50 to 100 feet and the typical height is
between 10 to 12 feet.
• .
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
• Bowstring trusses structurally
behave as a tied arch.
• The shape of the top chord
(parabolic) results in generally
uniform compressive stresses in top
chord elements under uniform loads.
• The thrust forces at the ends of the
top chord are resisted by the bottom
chord, which acts as a tie; these
forces are transferred to the bottom
chord through the U shaped steel
straps at the ends of the truss.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
• Due to this arch like behavior, stresses in
web members are relatively small under
uniform load.
• These structures were developed (and
designed) to withstand dead, live, snow,
and wind loads, which general practice
and most building codes in effect at the
time of construction considered as
uniformly distributed loads.
• Generally, snow drift loads, non-uniform
wind loads, point loads (e.g., due to
mechanical units on the roof), and seismic
loads were not considered at the time of
original construction
REASONS OF FAILURE OF BOWSTRING TRUSSES
• Cross grain shrinkage of timber • Timber defects (Large knots)
attached with steel side plates
with multiple rows of bolts often
causes the initial splitting.
REASONS OF FAILURE OF BOWSTRING TRUSSES
• Bolts in a row • Excess Loading
• – Gravity
• – Mechanical Equipment
• – Multiple layers of roofing
 REASONS OF FAILURE OF BOWSTRING TRUSSES
• Stability problems associated • Earthquake induced loads
with upper chord
TYPES OF FAILURES IN BOWSTRING TRUSSES

• Splitting of Lower Chord along Bolt Lines at Steel Splice Plates and
Heel Plates
TYPES OF FAILURES IN BOWSTRING TRUSSES

• Tension Failure in Lower Chord • Web Splitting and Web Pull-Out

TYPES OF FAILURES IN BOWSTRING TRUSSES

• Upper Chord Splitting • Upper Chord Buckling