Steel roof trusses are rapidly gaining popularity in the world of construction, meeting the needs of contractors and builders by providing a more efficient and sustainable way to support roofs and floors.
Traditionally, wood materials have been widely used for trusses, but steel roof trusses offer remarkable advantages. A steel roof truss is a structural member element that adds strength and support to roofs, offering exceptional strength, durability, and savings.
A steel roof truss comprises a triangulated system of interconnected structural elements. These elements are welded together at nodes where external forces and reactions from supports are typically applied.
Whether you’re constructing a house or a commercial building, understanding the benefits, types, and installation process of steel roof trusses can significantly impact the quality and cost-effectiveness of your project.
We will delve into everything you need to know about steel roof trusses, from their inherent advantages to the various types available, and the steps involved in their installation. We will also explore how steel trusses play a crucial role in structural engineering, supporting internal loading such as services and suspended ceilings, making them an ideal choice for modern steel buildings.
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The Types of Steel Roof Trusses
Steel roof trusses serve as an important structural component in construction, providing strong support and durability to the roof. There are several types of steel framing that can provide stability. This frame can be applied in a variety of buildings, including warehouses and factories.
1. Pratt Truss
The Pratt truss has been a staple in structural design for over two centuries, known for its effectiveness in spanning long distances typically ranging from 20 to 100 meters. This truss design features vertical members in compression and diagonal members in tension, optimizing efficiency by reducing the amount of steel required in tension members.
This configuration leads to several advantages: it lowers the overall cost of the structure by using more efficient members, decreases its self-weight, and simplifies construction. The Pratt truss is particularly suitable for horizontal spans where vertical forces predominate.
In traditional Pratt trusses, diagonal members primarily handle gravity loads, making them ideal for structures where such loads are significant. Alternatively, a variant of the Pratt truss places diagonal members in tension to manage uplift loads, which is beneficial in open structures like aircraft hangars where uplift forces are prevalent.
2. Warren Truss
The Warren truss is characterized by its unique construction, consisting of longitudinal members joined by angled cross-members, forming alternately inverted equilateral triangle-shaped spaces along its length.
This design creates a pure truss system where each individual strut, beam, or tie experiences either tension or compression forces, without being subjected to bending or torsional forces.
Loads on the diagonals alternate between compression and tension as they approach the center, while elements near the center must support both tension and compression in response to live loads.
This structural configuration combines strength with material efficiency, allowing the truss to be relatively lightweight. The uniform length of its girders makes it particularly suitable for prefabricated modular bridges and horizontal trusses of gantry/crane girders.
Warren trusses are commonly employed in long-span buildings ranging from 20 to 100 meters in span, showcasing their versatility and effectiveness in various engineering applications.
3. North Light Truss
The North Light truss is a distinctive type of steel roof truss known for its saw-tooth profile, primarily used for short roof spans in industrial workshop-type buildings, making it one of the oldest and most economical methods for covering large areas. This truss design consists of a series of trusses fixed to girders, allowing for maximum utilization of natural lighting through glazing typically installed on the steeper pitch, which faces north or north-east to minimize solar heat gain.
Typically, a perpendicular truss is placed on the steeper sloping portion of the North Light truss, enhancing the structure’s ability to provide large, column-free interior spaces. This design feature not only maximizes natural daylighting but also reduces the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours.
The use of North Light trusses to enhance natural daylighting can significantly reduce the operational carbon emissions of buildings. However, the overall impact should be assessed using dynamic thermal modeling to ensure optimal energy efficiency and comfort in interior spaces.
North Light trusses remain a preferred choice in industrial and commercial construction, offering structural efficiency, aesthetic appeal, and sustainable benefits through enhanced natural lighting and reduced energy consumption.
4. Saw-Tooth Truss
A variation of the North Light truss is the Saw-Tooth truss, commonly employed in multi-bay buildings. Like the North Light truss, the Saw-Tooth truss features a series of vertical and sloping roof surfaces arranged in a saw-tooth pattern along the roofline. These vertical faces often include glazing or windows to maximize natural daylighting within the building, reducing reliance on artificial lighting during the day.
Similar to the North Light truss, it is typical to include a perpendicular truss on the vertical face of the Saw-Tooth truss. This additional truss enhances the structure’s ability to provide large, column-free interior spaces, making it suitable for applications where spacious, well-lit environments are essential.
Saw-Tooth trusses are commonly used in industrial facilities, commercial buildings, and educational institutions where both functional efficiency and architectural aesthetics are desired. By optimizing natural daylighting and potentially improving thermal performance, Saw-Tooth trusses contribute to sustainable building practices by reducing energy consumption and enhancing occupant comfort.
5. Fink Truss
A Fink truss is one of the most commonly used types of trusses, particularly in residential and small-scale commercial buildings. It features an internal web configuration shaped like a “W,” which optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio, making it ideal for spans ranging from approximately 5 meters to 9 meters. This span range covers the majority of domestic dwellings constructed today.
The Fink truss is known for its efficiency in terms of steel weight, especially for short-span, high-pitched roofs. Its design subdivides members into shorter elements, reducing material usage while maintaining structural integrity. Various configurations and subdivisions of chords and internal members are possible, allowing flexibility in truss design to suit different architectural and structural requirements.
Due to its economical use of materials and versatile design, the Fink truss is widely utilized in residential construction for roof structures. It offers a practical solution for supporting roofs in houses, providing both structural reliability and cost-effectiveness.
The Best Option for Steel Roof Trusses
The Designs of Steel Roof Trusses
Read More: Steel Wall Framing: Why Choose It for Building Construction?
Read More: Steel Frame Building: Uses and Types of Structures
Buy Steel Roof Trusses in Tradecorp, What are The Advantages?
Tradecorp Indonesia provides top-quality light gauge steel for steel roof trusses, ensuring long-lasting durability and structural integrity while offering cost-saving benefits. Their cold-formed steel framing construction boasts numerous advantages.
- Long Lifespan of Use. The lifespan of steel roof trusses from Tradecorp can reach 50-70 years.
- Corrosion Resistant. The steel roof trusses from Tradecorp is coated with hot-dip galvanizing at 275 grams per square meter, making it resistant to corrosion.
- Earthquake Resistant. Tradecorp’s steel roof trusses are designed to absorb shocks, making the house less prone to damage.
- Wind Resistant. Homes constructed with steel roof trusses from Tradecorp can withstand strong winds.
- Multi-story Buildings. Steel roof trusses from Tradecorp can be used to construct multi-story buildings up to three levels.
The Best Option for Steel Roof Trusses
How does Tradecorp use Steel Roof Trusses in Building Construction?
Concrete Casting
Plumbing
Wiremesh Installation
Box Control
Installation
Assembly
Finishing
