The truss is one of the basic structural units. At its simplest, it is a structure of various members in space. Roof trusses, transmission towers, construction tower cranes, and even the famous Eiffel Tower are all examples of trusses.
There are many uses for trusses! For example, it is used in bridge construction, especially for long-span bridges, in roller coasters as track rails, and in scaffolding works as temporary structures.
What Makes a Truss?
Components Form a Truss
There are at least two critical components of a truss: the long slender materials called members and their connection at their ends called joints. The members can be made of different materials, shapes, and sizes, while the joints can be any connection, such as bolts or welds.
A truss's construction will depend on its purpose. For instance, if we are to design a truss structure for light and sound rigging at concerts:
- It must be capable of carrying sound and lighting equipment.
- It must be lightweight so that transportation is easy.
- It must be easily assembled and disassembled.
Truss is Rigid
When we speak of trusses, they should be able to retain their shape when applied with loads. It should behave as one structure. In other words, it should be rigid.
Usually, we create trusses with triangle arrangements in space. Now, why a triangle? Well, it's the most robust shape! The triangle makes it perfect for achieving the rigidity we need for the truss.
There are some unique trusses where the members form other shapes, such as hexagons, so we're not limited to triangles. What's important is that the members and joints must act together to satisfy their intended purpose.
How Do Trusses Behave?
If a force acts on a joint, all truss members are affected. Meaning each component will share the stress due to the applied load.
Later in this course, we'll discover that these members will predominantly experience axial stresses, which can be tension or compression.
Summary
The truss is an assemblage of various members in space.
We call the long slender objects of the truss: members. The end connection of each member is called a joint.
The truss's assemblage work as one to resist loads imposed on it. It behaves as one structure.
The truss's members will predominantly experience axial stresses, which can be tension or compression.
