Historic Bridgesof North Carolina

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Truss Bridges
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Schematic diagram depicting typical truss bridge components (source:

Historic American Engineering Record (HAER))

Truss bridges are characterized by the joining of numerous relatively small structural members
into a series of interconnected triangles. They were first built of wood, then iron, then steel or,
occasionally, a combination of the materials. Many wooden truss bridges served North Carolina’s
roads in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Only one still survives largely intact, the 1895 Bunker
Hill Bridge near Claremont in Catawba County, which no longer carries traffic and is not part of
the highway system. All of the state’s other truss bridges are metal structures, which partook of an
explosion of design and technological innovations that began in the mid-19th century.

Basic truss bridge types found in North Carolina (source: HAER)

A truss bridge can be characterized by the location of its traffic deck. At a pony truss, the travel
surface passes along the bottom chords of trusses standing to either side that are not connected to
each other at the top. These trusses are designed for lighter loads. At a through truss bridge, the
deck again is carried along the bottom chord, but the trusses to either side are generally higher and
are connected by cross-bracing at their tops. Designed for heavier loads and longer spans, this
truss is the most common in North Carolina. The least common truss in the state is the deck truss,
which carries its deck and traffic entirely on top of the truss structure.
Metal trusses may also be differentiated by how their structural members are connected. The
earliest examples in the state were connected with pins. The pin connection was subsequently
replaced by bolted and then welded connections.
There are numerous wood and metal truss types. The wooden Bunker Hill Bridge is a Haupt truss,
a type invented in 1839. North Carolina’s metal truss bridges utilize only about five of the many
types or subtypes of metal truss bridges—the Pratt, the Warren, the Parker, the Camelback, and
the Pennsylvania.

Pratt truss diagram (source: HAER)

The Pratt truss is identified by a simple web arrangement of diagonals in tension and verticals in
compression. Patented in 1844 by engineer Thomas Pratt and his architect father, Caleb, the Pratt
offered ease of design and fabrication by using economical, standard, rolled-angle and channel
sections, plates, bars, rods, and I beams. Pratt trusses were dominant during the last quarter of the
19th century and continued in use well into the 20th. Most of the later examples of the truss used
riveted or bolted rather than pinned connections. A larger number of intact Pratt trusses survived
in North Carolina into the beginning of the 21st century than any other type.

Warren truss diagram (source: HAER)

The Warren truss design is distinguished by equal-sized members and the ability of some of the
diagonals to act in both tension and compression. The type is generally characterized by thick,
prominent, diagonal members, although verticals could be added for increased stiffness. Warren
truss bridges gained popularity after 1900, as American engineers began to see the structural
advantages of riveted or bolted connections over those that were pinned. The design was well
suited to a variety of highway bridge applications and was very popular in North Carolina and
nationally from about 1900 to 1930.

Parker truss diagram (source: HAER)

A Parker truss is a Pratt truss that has a polygonal top chord. It is named after engineer C. H.
Parker, who is associated with the development of the design in the mid-19th century. Polygonal
top chords offer savings in material and place the greatest depth of the truss at the center of the
span where it is most needed. The riveted Parker truss was admirably suited for relatively long
spans and it remained popular through the early decades of the 20th century.

Camelback truss diagram (source: HAER)

A Camelback truss is a variation of the Parker truss that has a polygonal upper chord of exactly five
slopes. This provides some saving of material with the greatest depth of truss where it is most
required, at the center of the span. The State Highway Commission—which made only limited use
of the type and then only at long crossings—used the Camelback variant as the center span of Nash
County Bridge 271, which it erected over the Tar River just east of Spring Hope in 1921.

Pennsylvania truss diagram (source: HAER)

The Pennsylvania truss is named after the Pennsylvania Railroad, whose engineers developed the
design in 1875. It is yet another variant of the Pratt truss with polygonal top chords and panels that
are additionally subdivided by ties and struts. The sloping of the top chords saves materials and
 best places the depths of the truss at the center of the span, while the subdivided panels distribute
the loads uniformly and handle secondary stresses well. The Pennsylvania truss was well-suited to
long spans and remained popular through the early decades of the 20th century. The state utilized
it at a few crossings in the mid-1950s, reflecting a conservative application of truss technology by
the Highway Commission.
[June 2013]
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Wikipedia
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Truss bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Truss bridge
 Truss bridge for a single track railway, converted to pedestrian use

and pipeline support

Ancestor Beam bridge[citation needed]

Related None

Descendant Cantilever bridge, truss arch bridge, transporter

bridge, lattice bridge[citation needed]

Carries Pedestrians, pipelines, automobiles, trucks, light

rail, heavy rail

Span range Short to medium - not very long unless it is

continuous

Material Timber, iron, steel, reinforced

concrete, prestressed concrete

Movable May be movable - see movable bridge

Design effort Medium

Falseworkrequired Depends upon length, materials, and degree of

prefabrication

A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of

connected elements usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may
be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss
bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges. The basic types of truss bridges shown in this
article have simple designs which could be easily analyzed by 19th- and early 20th-century
engineers. A truss bridge is economical to construct because it uses materials efficiently.
The integral members of a truss bridge[1]

The nature of a truss allows the analysis of the structure using a few assumptions and the
application of Newton's laws of motionaccording to the branch of physics known as statics. For
purposes of analysis, trusses are assumed to be pin jointed where the straight components meet.
This assumption means that members of the truss (chords, verticals and diagonals) will act only in
tension or compression. A more complex analysis is required where rigid joints impose
significant bending loads upon the elements, as in a Vierendeel truss.
In the bridge illustrated in the infobox at the top, vertical members are in tension, lower horizontal
members in tension, shear, and bending, outer diagonal and top members are in compression, while
the inner diagonals are in tension. The central vertical member stabilizes the upper compression
member, preventing it from buckling. If the top member is sufficiently stiff then this vertical element
may be eliminated. If the lower chord (a horizontal member of a truss) is sufficiently resistant to
bending and shear, the outer vertical elements may be eliminated, but with additional strength added
to other members in compensation. The ability to distribute the forces in various ways has led to a
large variety of truss bridge types. Some types may be more advantageous when wood is employed
for compression elements while other types may be easier to erect in particular site conditions, or
when the balance between labor, machinery and material costs have certain favorable proportions.
The inclusion of the elements shown is largely an engineering decision based upon economics,
being a balance between the costs of raw materials, off-site fabrication, component transportation,
on-site erection, the availability of machinery and the cost of labor. In other cases the appearance of
the structure may take on greater importance and so influence the design decisions beyond mere
matters of economics. Modern materials such as prestressed concrete and fabrication methods,
such as automated welding, and the changing price of steel relative to that of labor have significantly
influenced the design of modern bridges.
Model bridges[edit]
A pure truss can be represented as a pin-jointed structure, one where the only forces on the truss
members are tension or compression, not bending. This is used in the teaching of statics, by the
building of model bridges from spaghetti. Spaghetti is brittle and although it can carry a modest
tension force, it breaks easily if bent. A model spaghetti bridge thus demonstrates the use of a truss
structure to produce a usefully strong complete structure from individually weak elements.

History in the United States[edit]

Warren-type through-truss of the former Seaboard Air Line Railway, located near the village of Willow, Florida;
abandoned since the mid-1980s

Because wood was in abundance, early truss bridges would typically use carefully fitted timbers for
members taking compression and iron rods for tension members, usually constructed as a covered
bridge to protect the structure. In 1820 a simple form of truss, Town's lattice truss, was patented, and
had the advantage of requiring neither high labor skills nor much metal. Few iron truss bridges were
built in the United States before 1850.
Truss bridges became a common type of bridge built from the 1870s through the 1930s. Examples
of these bridges still remain across the US, but their numbers are dropping rapidly, as they are
demolished and replaced with new structures. As metal slowly started to replace timber, wrought
iron bridges in the US started being built on a large scale in the 1870s. Bowstring truss bridges were
a common truss design during this time, with their arched top chords. Companies like the Massillon
Bridge Company of Massillon, Ohio and the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio became well-
known, as they marketed their designs to cities and townships. The bowstring truss design (photo)
fell out of favor due to a lack of durability, and gave way to the Pratt truss design, which was
stronger. Again, the bridge companies marketed their designs, with the Wrought Iron Bridge
Company in the lead. As the 1880s and 1890s progressed, steel began to replace wrought iron as
the preferred material. Other truss designs were used during this time, including the camel-back. By
the 1910s, many states developed standard plan truss bridges, including steel Warren pony truss
bridges. As the 1920s and 1930s progressed, some states, such as Pennsylvania, continued to build
steel truss bridges, including massive steel through-truss bridges for long spans. Other states, such
as Michigan, used standard plan concrete girder and beam bridges, and only a limited number of
truss bridges were built.

Roadbed types[edit]
The truss may carry its roadbed on top, in the middle, or at the bottom of the truss. Bridges with the
roadbed at the top or the bottom are the most common as this allows both the top and bottom to be
stiffened, forming a box truss. When the roadbed is atop the truss it is called a deck truss (an
example of this was the I-35W Mississippi River bridge). When the truss members are both above
and below the roadbed it is called a through truss (an example of this application is the Pulaski
Skyway), and where the sides extend above the roadbed but are not connected, a pony
truss or half-through truss.
Sometimes both the upper and lower chords support roadbeds, forming a double-decked truss. This
can be used to separate rail from road traffic or to separate the two directions of automobile traffic
and so avoiding the likelihood of head-on collisions.
Since through truss bridges have supports located over the bridge deck, they are susceptible to
being hit by overheight loads when used on highways - the I-5 Skagit River Bridge collapsed after
such a strike, and such impacts were common and required frequent repairs before the collapse.[2]
 

Deck truss railroad bridge over the Erie Canal in Lockport, New York

The four span through trussGeneral Hertzog Bridge over the Orange River at Aliwal North carries
vehicular traffic

The through truss Skagit River Bridge on Interstate 5 collapsed after an overhead support was hit by a
passing truck

Pony truss bridge of reinforced concrete


Sky Gate Bridge R at Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan, is the longest double-decked truss
bridge in the world. It carries three lanes of automobile traffic on top and two of rail below over nine truss
spans.

The Hart Bridge is a continuous, cantilevered truss bridge with an unusual design that combines a
suspended road deck on the 332-metre (1,088 ft) main span and through truss decks on the adjacent
approach spans.

A railway bridge with a rail track in Leflore County, Mississippi

Side view of the iron truss railway bridge over Mura River in Mursko Središće, Croatia

Truss types used in bridges[edit]

Bridges are the most widely known examples of truss use. There are many types, many dating back
hundreds of years. Below are some of the more common designs.
Allan truss[edit]

Allan Truss illustrated

The Allan truss, designed by Percy Allan, is partly based on the Howe truss. The first Allan truss
was completed on 13 August 1894 over Glennies Creek at Camberwell, New South Wales and the
last Allan truss bridge was built over Mill Creek near Wisemans Ferry in 1929.[3][4] Completed in
March 1895, the Tharwa Bridge located at Tharwa, Australian Capital Territory, was the second
Allan truss bridge to be built, the oldest surviving bridge in the Australian Capital Territory and the
oldest, longest continuously used Allan truss bridge.[5][6] Completed in November 1895, the Hampden
Bridge in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, the first of the Allan truss bridges with
overhead bracing, was originally designed as a steel bridge but was constructed with timber to
reduce cost.[7] In his design, Allan used Australian ironbark for its strength.[8] A similar bridge also
designed by Percy Allen is the Victoria Bridge on Prince Street, Picton, New South Wales. Also
constructed of ironbark, the bridge is still in use today for pedestrian and light traffic.[9]
Bailey bridge[edit]

Bailey truss illustrated.

Bailey bridge over the Meurthe River, France.

Main article: Bailey bridge

Designed for military uses, the prefabricated and standardized truss elements may be easily
combined in various configurations to adapt to the needs at the site. In the image at right, note the
use of doubled prefabrications to adapt to the span and load requirements. In other applications the
trusses may be stacked vertically.
Baltimore truss[edit]

Baltimore truss illustrated.

The Baltimore truss is a subclass of the Pratt truss. A Baltimore truss has additional bracing in the
lower section of the truss to prevent buckling in the compression members and to control deflection.
It is mainly used for rail bridges, showing off a simple and very strong design.
Bollman truss[edit]
Bollman truss in Savage, Maryland. Built in 1869, moved to Savage in 1887. It is still in use today as a
pedestrian bridge.
39°8′5.42″N 76°49′30.33″W

Main article: Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge

The Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge at Savage, Maryland, is the only surviving example of a
revolutionary design in the history of American bridge engineering. The type was named for its
inventor, Wendel Bollman, a self-educated Baltimore engineer. It was the first successful all-metal
bridge design (patented in 1852) to be adopted and consistently used on a railroad. The design
employs wrought iron tension members and cast iron compression members. The use of multiple
independent tension elements reduces the likelihood of catastrophic failure. The structure was also
easy to assemble.
The Wells Creek Bollman Bridge is the only other bridge designed by Wendel Bollman still in
existence, but it is a Warren truss configuration.
Bowstring arch truss[edit]

Bowstring truss illustrated

A bowstring truss bridge, in London, Ontario, Canada

The bowstring arch through truss bridge was patented in 1841[10] by Squire Whipple.[11] While similar
in appearance to a tied-arch bridge, a bowstring truss is a truss and thus has diagonal load-bearing
members. These diagonals result in a structure that more closely matches a Parker truss or Pratt
truss than a true arch.
Brown truss[edit]

Brown truss illustrated. All interior vertical elements are under tension.

Main article: Brown truss

This type of truss is particularly suited for timber structures that use iron rods as tension members.
Brunel truss[edit]
See Lenticular truss below
Burr arch truss[edit]

A covered bridge with a Burr arch truss structure

Main article: Burr Arch Truss

This combines an arch with a truss to form a structure both strong and rigid.
Cantilevered truss[edit]

Forth Bridge

Main article: Cantilever bridge

Most trusses have the lower chord under tension and the upper chord under compression. In a
cantilever truss the situation is reversed, at least over a portion of the span. The typical cantilever
truss bridge is a "balanced cantilever", which enables the construction to proceed outward from a
central vertical spar in each direction. Usually these are built in pairs until the outer sections may be
anchored to footings. A central gap, if present, can then be filled by lifting a conventional truss into
place or by building it in place using a "traveling support". In another method of construction, one
outboard half of each balanced truss is built upon temporary falsework. When the outboard halves
are completed and anchor the inboard halves may then be constructed and the center section
completed as described above.
Fink truss[edit]

Fink truss (half span and cross section)

The Fink truss was designed by Albert Fink of Germany in the 1860s. This type of bridge was
popular with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The Appomattox High Bridge on the Norfolk and
Western Railroad included 21 Fink deck truss spans from 1869 until their replacement in 1886.
There are also inverted Fink truss bridges such as the Moody Pedestrian Bridge in Austin, Texas.
Howe truss[edit]

Howe truss illustrated - the diagonals are under compression under balanced loading

The relatively rare Howe truss, patented in 1840 by Massachusetts millwright William Howe,
includes vertical members and diagonals that slope up towards the center, the opposite of the Pratt
truss.[12] In contrast to the Pratt truss, the diagonal web members are in compression and the vertical
web members are in tension. Examples include Jay Bridge in Jay, New York, and Sandy Creek
Covered Bridge in Jefferson County, Missouri.

A large timber Howe truss in a commercial building

Jay Bridge showing the truss design

K truss[edit]

K-truss
A truss in the form of a K due to the orientation of the vertical member and two oblique members in
each panel. An example is the Südbrücke rail bridge over the River Rhine, Mainz, Germany
([Link]
Kingpost truss[edit]
Main article: King post

King post truss

One of the simplest truss styles to implement, the king post consists of two angled supports leaning
into a common vertical support.
Lattice truss (Town's lattice truss)[edit]

Lattice, or Warren quadrangular truss illustrated

Plank lattice truss of a covered bridge

Main article: Lattice truss bridge

This type of bridge uses a substantial number of lightweight elements, easing the task of
construction. Truss elements are usually of wood, iron, or steel.
Lenticular truss[edit]

Lenticular, or Pauli truss illustrated

Royal Albert Bridge under construction, 1859

A lenticular truss bridge includes a lens-shape truss, with trusses between an upper arch that curves
up and then down to end points, and a lower arch that curves down and then up to meet at the same
end points. Where the arches extend above and below the roadbed, it is a lenticular pony truss
bridge.
One type of lenticular truss consists of arcuate upper compression chords and lower eyebar chain
tension links. The Royal Albert Bridge (United Kingdom) uses a single tubular upper chord. As the
horizontal tension and compression forces are balanced these horizontal forces are not transferred
to the supporting pylons (as is the case with most arch types). This in turn enables the truss to be
fabricated on the ground and then to be raised by jacking as supporting masonry pylons are
constructed. This truss has been used in the construction of a stadium,[13] with the upper chords of
parallel trusses supporting a roof that may be rolled back. The Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, is another example of this type.
An example of a lenticular pony truss bridge that uses regular spans of iron is the Turn-of-River
Bridge designed and manufactured by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co..
Long truss[edit]

HAER diagram of a Long Truss

Designed by Stephen H. Long in 1830. The design resembles a Howe truss, but is entirely made of
wood instead of a combination of wood and metal.[14] The longest surviving example is the Eldean
Covered Bridge north of Troy, Ohio, spanning 224 feet (68 m).[15] One of the earliest examples is
the Old Blenheim Bridge, which with a span of 210 feet (64 m) and a total length of 232 feet (71 m)
long was the second-longest covered bridge in the United States, until its destruction from flooding in
2011.
The Busching bridge, often erroneously used as an example of a Long truss, is an example of a
Howe truss, as the verticals are metal rods.[16] A Long truss has timber verticals.
Parker (camelback) truss[edit]
"Camelback bridge" redirects here. For the concrete bridge type, see concrete curved-chord through
girder bridge.

A Parker truss bridge is a

Pratt truss design with a
polygonal upper chord. A
"camelback" is a subset of
the Parker type, where the
upper chord consists of
exactly five segments. An
example of a Parker truss is
the Traffic
Parker truss illustrated. Bridge in Saskatoon, Canada.
An example of a camelback
The Woolsey Bridge is an example of a truss is the Woolsey
Parker camelback truss Bridge near Woolsey,
Arkansas.

Pegram truss[edit]

Pegram truss

The Pegram truss is a hybrid between the Warren and Parker trusses where the upper chords are all
of equal length and the lower chords are longer than the corresponding upper chord. Because of the
difference in upper and lower chord length, each panel is not square. The members which would be
vertical in a Parker truss vary from near vertical in the center of the span to diagonal near each end
(like a Warren truss). George H. Pegram, while the chief engineer of Edge Moor Iron Company in
Wilmington, Delaware, patented this truss design in 1885.[17]
The Pegram truss consists of a Parker type design with the vertical posts leaning towards the center
at an angle between 60 and 75°. The variable post angle and constant chord length allowed steel in
existing bridges to be recycled into a new span using the Pegram truss design. This design also
facilitated reassembly and permitted a bridge to be adjusted to fit different span lengths. There are
twelve known remaining Pegram span bridges in the United States with seven in Idaho, two in
Kansas, and one each in California, Washington, and Utah.[citation needed]
Pennsylvania (Petit) truss[edit]

Pennsylvania, or Petit truss illustrated.

The Fair Oaks Bridge is an example of Pennsylvania Petit truss bridge.

The Pennsylvania (Petit) truss is a variation on the Pratt truss.[18] The Pratt truss includes braced
diagonal members in all panels; the Pennsylvania truss adds to this design half-length struts or ties
in the top, bottom, or both parts of the panels. It is named after the Pennsylvania Railroad, which
pioneered this design. It was once used for hundreds of bridges in the United States, but fell out of
favor in the 1930s, and very few bridges of this design remain.[19] Examples of this truss type include
the Schell Bridge in Northfield, Massachusetts, the Inclined Plane Bridge in Johnstown,
Pennsylvania, and the Healdsburg Memorial Bridge in Healdsburg, California.
Post truss[edit]

A Post truss

A Post truss is a hybrid between a Warren truss and a double-intersection Pratt truss. Invented in
1863 by Simeon S. Post, it is occasionally referred to as a Post patent truss although he never
received a patent for it.[20] The Ponakin Bridge and the Bell Ford Bridge are two examples of this
truss.
Pratt truss[edit]

Pratt truss

Gatton Railway Bridge showing the Pratt truss design

A Pratt truss includes vertical members and diagonals that slope down towards the center, the
opposite of the Howe truss.[12] The interior diagonals are under tension under balanced loading and
vertical elements under compression. If pure tension elements are used in the diagonals (such
as eyebars) then crossing elements may be needed near the center to accept concentrated live
loads as they traverse the span. It can be subdivided, creating Y- and K-shaped patterns. The Pratt
truss was invented in 1844 by Thomas and Caleb Pratt.[21] This truss is practical for use with spans
up to 250 feet (76 m) and was a common configuration for railroad bridges as truss bridges moved
from wood to metal. They are statically determinate bridges, which lend themselves well to long
spans. They were common in the United States between 1844 and the early 20th century.[21]
Examples of Pratt truss bridges are the Governor's Bridge in Maryland,[21] Dearborn River High
Bridge near Augusta, Montana, built in 1897, and the Fair Oaks Bridge in Fair Oaks, California, built
1907–09.
Queenpost truss[edit]
Main article: Queen post

Queen post truss

The queenpost truss, sometimes "queen post" or "queenspost", is similar to a king post truss in that
the outer supports are angled towards the center of the structure. The primary difference is the
horizontal extension at the center which relies on beam action to provide mechanical stability. This
truss style is only suitable for relatively short spans.[22]
Thatcher truss[edit]

Thatcher Truss illustrated

The Thatcher truss combines some of the characteristics of a Pratt truss with diagonals under
tension and a Howe truss with diagonals under compression. It is quite rare.
Truss arch[edit]
Main article: Truss arch bridge

Truss arch bridge illustration

A truss arch may contain all horizontal forces within the arch itself, or alternatively may be either a
thrust arch consisting of a truss, or of two arcuate sections pinned at the apex. The latter form is
common when the bridge is constructed as cantilever segments from each side as in the Navajo
Bridge.
Vierendeel truss[edit]
Main article: Vierendeel bridge

A Vierendeel bridge

The Vierendeel truss, unlike common pin-jointed trusses, imposes significant bending forces upon its
members — but this in turn allows the elimination of many diagonal elements. It is a structure where
the members are not triangulated but form rectangular openings, and is a frame with fixed joints that
are capable of transferring and resisting bending moments. While rare as a bridge type due to higher
costs compared to a triangulated truss, it is commonly employed in modern building construction as
it allows the resolution of gross shear forces against the frame elements while retaining rectangular
openings between columns. This is advantageous both in allowing flexibility in the use of the building
space and freedom in selection of the building's outer curtain wall, which affects both interior and
exterior styling aspects.
Waddell truss[edit]

Waddell "A" truss (1898 bridge)

Main article: John Alexander Low Waddell

Patented 1894 (U.S. Patent 529,220) its simplicity eases erection at the site. It was intended to be
used as a railroad bridge.
Warren truss[edit]

Warren truss illustrated – some of the diagonals are under compression and some under tension

The Warren truss was patented in 1848 by James Warren and Willoughby Theobald Monzani, and
consists of longitudinal members joined only by angled cross-members, forming alternately
inverted equilateral triangle-shaped spaces along its length, ensuring that no individual strut, beam,
or tie is subject to bending or torsional straining forces, but only to tension or compression. Loads on
the diagonals alternate between compression and tension (approaching the center), with no vertical
elements, while elements near the center must support both tension and compression in response to
live loads. This configuration combines strength with economy of materials and can therefore be
relatively light. The girders being of equal length, it is ideal for use in prefabricated modular bridges.
It is an improvement over the Neville truss which uses a spacing configuration of isosceles triangles.
Whipple truss[edit]

Whipple truss illustrated

Whipple truss illustrated

Bridge L-158

A Whipple truss, named after its inventor Squire Whipple, is usually considered a subclass of the
Pratt truss because the diagonal members are designed to work in tension. The main characteristic
of a Whipple truss is that the tension members are elongated, usually thin, and at a shallow angle,
and cross two or more bays (rectangular sections defined by the vertical members).

Truss bridge video[edit]

Driving across a truss bridge:
References[edit]
 Historic American Engineering Record (1976). "Trusses: A Study by the Historic American
Engineering Record" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
Truss Bridge - Types, History, Facts and
Design
Site:

[Link]

Truss bridge is a type of bridge whose main element is a truss which is a

structure of connected elements that form triangular units. Truss is used
because it is a very rigid structure and it transfers the load from a single
point to a much wider area. Truss bridges appeared very early in the
history of modern bridges and are economic to construct because they
use materials efficiently.
Before Industrial revolution (19th century), almost all bridges in use were
made of stone. But wood and iron can resist tension and compression
better and stone and United States had much wood so they made
many wooden bridges in those times and most of them were truss
bridges. Town's lattice truss, a very simple variant of truss, was patented
in 1820. First half of 19th century saw very few truss bridges made of
iron although the first patent for an iron truss bride was issued to Squire
Whipple in 1841. But metal slowly started to replace wood, and wrought
iron bridges started appearing in the U.S. in the 1870s only to be
replaced by steel in 1880s and 1890s. In time some places (like
Pennsylvania) continued building truss bridges for long spans well into
1930s, while other (like Michigan) started building standard plan
concrete girder and beam bridges.
From the first truss bridge, engineers experimented with different forms
of truss bridges trying to find better shape and the one that will suit them
for the particular problems. Because of that we have today many forms
of truss bridges. Truss bridge can have deck (roadbed) on top (deck
truss), in the middle (through truss), or at the bottom of the truss. If the
sides of the truss extend above the roadbed but are not connected, it is
called a pony truss or half-through truss.
Here are some more common variants of truss design for bridges:
 Allan truss: a pony truss based on Howe truss. The first Allan truss
was finished on 13 August 1894.
 Bailey truss: made for military to be easily combined in various
configurations.
 Baltimore truss: made like Pratt truss but it has additional bracing in
the lower section of the truss which prevents buckling in the
compression members.
 Bollman truss: an all-metal truss with many independent tension
elements which makes for a strong bridge that is easy to assemble.
 Burr arch truss: a combination of an arch and truss which gives a
strong and rigid bridge.
 Howe truss: has vertical elements and diagonals that slope up
towards the center of the bridge.
 K truss: has one vertical member and two oblique members in each
panel (which form a letter “K”).
 Lenticular truss: uses a lens-shape truss which has an upper and
lower curve and diagonal elements between them. If the curves are
above and below the roadbed it is a “lenticular pony truss”.
 Long truss: a variant of Howe truss but made of wood and used for
covered bridges.
 Parker truss: a variant of Pratt truss that has a polygonal upper
chord. If chord has exactly five segments it is called camelback.
 Pegram truss: has chords that are wider at the bottom but of the
same length as each other at the top.
 Pratt truss: has vertical members and diagonals that slope
downward to the center. It is a variant commonly used for railroad
bridges.
 Vierendeel truss: has members that are not triangular but
rectangular. Rare are bridges made in this variant of truss because it
is not cheap.
 Warren truss: has longitudinal members joined only by angled cross-
members. They form equilateral triangles. It is relatively light but
strong and economical truss.