Truss Bridges Essay
Introduction
What is a Truss?
A truss is a structure made up of triangular components forming a very ridged structure. A truss can take the force form one location and distribute it over the whole structure. Trusses have been around since the start of modern history and where originally made from stone and over time people discovered that iron and wood have great strength when used under tension and compression.
The Importance of Trusses
Before the industrial revolution almost all trusses in use were made of stone. But stone wasn’t as good as wood and iron when resisting tension and compression. Countries like the United States had much wood so they made many wooden truss bridges. Throughout the 19th centenary many types of trusses where patented from wood to iron but these wrought iron truss bridges where all slowly replaced with steel bridges in the late 19th centenary.
Advantages and Disadvantages
From the first truss bridge, engineers …show more content…
The shape of a triangle allows all the weight applied to redistributed throughout the entire truss down and away from the centre. e.g. In a truss in a ceiling, this transfers the entire weight of the roof to the outer walls
The structure of interconnecting triangles means that the load-bearing capacity of truss bridges is huge. The structure effectively manages both compression and tension, by spreading out the load.
A truss’s use of materials is extremely effective. Materials such as wood, iron and steel are all utilised to their maximum potential, and every piece is placed in a certain spot and plays a role.
Disadvantages
The structure of a truss bridge is, by design, large and spanning a large gap. The interconnecting triangular components need to be large to bear and distribute heavy forces applied to the truss. This means in certain conditions (restricted spaces), the truss bridge may not be the best
What is a Truss?
A truss is a structure made up of triangular components forming a very ridged structure. A truss can take the force form one location and distribute it over the whole structure. Trusses have been around since the start of modern history and where originally made from stone and over time people discovered that iron and wood have great strength when used under tension and compression.
The Importance of Trusses
Before the industrial revolution almost all trusses in use were made of stone. But stone wasn’t as good as wood and iron when resisting tension and compression. Countries like the United States had much wood so they made many wooden truss bridges. Throughout the 19th centenary many types of trusses where patented from wood to iron but these wrought iron truss bridges where all slowly replaced with steel bridges in the late 19th centenary.
Advantages and Disadvantages
From the first truss bridge, engineers …show more content…
The shape of a triangle allows all the weight applied to redistributed throughout the entire truss down and away from the centre. e.g. In a truss in a ceiling, this transfers the entire weight of the roof to the outer walls
The structure of interconnecting triangles means that the load-bearing capacity of truss bridges is huge. The structure effectively manages both compression and tension, by spreading out the load.
A truss’s use of materials is extremely effective. Materials such as wood, iron and steel are all utilised to their maximum potential, and every piece is placed in a certain spot and plays a role.
Disadvantages
The structure of a truss bridge is, by design, large and spanning a large gap. The interconnecting triangular components need to be large to bear and distribute heavy forces applied to the truss. This means in certain conditions (restricted spaces), the truss bridge may not be the best