Statics › Section F · Equilibrium of structures › Topic F.3
How trusses work
A truss carries a heavy load across a long gap using surprisingly little material, by arranging slender members into triangles so that each one is only pushed or pulled. This topic sets up the model engineers use, shows how to check that a truss can be solved, and how to spot members that carry nothing.
In this topic
- What a truss is
- Why triangles
- The simple-truss model
- Tension, compression and buckling
- Counting equations and unknowns
- Simple trusses and redundancy
- Named truss patterns
- Zero-force members
- Worked example: is this truss determinate?
- Worked example: finding zero-force members
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
This topic is part of Wuanberri Pro. Checking your access…