Truss Collapse
Domino-style truss failures can be catastrophic.
Good bracing and quality control by the
fabricator are essential.
reduce strength, primarily because of
the diagonal tension that results from
the shear.
The stress configuration in wood
trusses is anything but precise. At the
joint in question, the bottom chord was
theoretically in tension, and the diagonal
web and the top chord were in compression.
But because gusset plates
restrain movement at the joint, there
were also local bending and shear
stresses in the plate and in the members
that met there.
In addition, trusses are subjected to
all kinds of stresses while being transported
and lifted into place. These
include stress reversals, torsion, localized
stress concentrations, and-
The wood truss is a