Business Logistics

Multi Ply Girders

Question: 

Girders are trusses specially designed to carry extra loads that are a result of the structural framing members they support. Sometimes a single ply girder truss is insufficient to carry the entire load, so the truss designer designs a multiple-ply girder. This is where identical trusses are built and fastened together to act as one unit to support the load. ANSI/TPI 1 states that girder trusses up to three plies thick can be fastened together with nails. Girders over three plies must be pre-drilled and bolted rather than nailed.

Raised Heels

Question: 

How high is a high heel?

General Truss Question

Question: 

What do you mean by the term “trusses”? Are there different kinds of trusses? What are their uses?

Truss Span Tables And Details

Question: 

Are there any typical wood truss span tables for roofs and floors available? Standard framing details for use in preliminary design?

Locating A Local Wood Truss Designer

Question: 

I am planning a 36 ft. x 60 ft. clear-span horse barn with posts set 12 ft. O.C. If I use 2x6 verses 2x4 wood trusses what would the proper spacing be? The roofing is 29 ga. K-panels metal with insulation, and winter snowfall is minimal in our area.

Create A Ceiling Vault In Existing Rafter Roof

Question: 

Is it possible to retrofit a standard rafter/joist style roof to a scissors truss configuration without replacing the existing construction?

Ubc Truss Marking Provision

Question: 

I stamp the bottom chord of my trusses with my company name and the name of my third-party inspector. Recently, my local building inspector requested another stamp with the on-center spacing, the total design load and the load duration factor. I have never heard of this before and I was wondering if you had any further information on this requirement.

Charring Of Trusses

Question: 

Our home caught fire last month and burned partly through a tongue and groove ceiling to the trusses. Some are charred. Our contractor did a moisture meter test. An engineer for the insurance company said the trusses were only smoke damaged & the moisture meter test is invalid (it can be set to read anything). I found one article on charred trusses, but it’s pretty vague. We do not feel safe with the insurance engineer’s assessment because some of the trusses are obviously charred. We hired an engineer who agreed with us.

Sloping Floors

Question: 

In our one-year-old home, as you approach the hallway, the floor slopes downward. Our home inspector said that this was most likely due to the fact that the walls were resting on the floor as opposed to being load-bearing walls. What has been your experience with sloping floors in a new home? The floors are very flat elsewhere until the walls start. Do you think this sloping could turn into a structural problem eventually?

Floor Vibration

Question: 

We have designed a custom home that needs a good solid floor, with low vibration perceptibility. The system we have specified consists of 2 in. of gypcrete over 1 and 1/8 in. thick plywood or OSB. The floor trusses are 20 in. deep at 16 in. O.C., spanning 31 ft. 6 in. The preliminary truss design shows a double top and bottom chord with a total load deflection of 1.30 in. (l/290) and a live load deflection of 0.65 in. (l/581). The basement ceiling will be 1/2 in. gypboard nailed to the bottom of the trusses.