Today’s complex truss designs can present significant installation challenges to framers if there isn’t good communication between the framer and the manufacturer.
From storage and lifting pick points to critical bearing conditions, safe handling and installation practices need to be effectively communicated to installers.
During the design phase, manufacturers can help ensure smooth installation by considering the framing challenges a complex design may create and facilitate cross communication between parties.
Component manufacturers have to be proactive locally in pursuing those outside the industry, including building officials, members of the fire service, specifiers, framers and lawmakers.
It’s not hard to put a value on having eyes and ears like theirs in the market, when they are willing to look out for your business while they’re doing their jobs.
The more smoothly the installation of CM products goes, the less issues we have to confront in the field and the less we have to overcome challenging building code provisions, the more builders will want to buy and install our products.
The following Technical Q&A has been updated from the version that appeared in the 2006 June/July issue of SBC.
Lateral restraints are installed to reduce the buckling length of the web(s), but must be restrained laterally to prevent the webs to which they are attached from buckling together in the same direction.
BCSI-B3, Permanent Restraint/Bracing of Chords and Web Members, provides general industry recommendations and methods for restraining web members against buckling.
The most effective way to avoid recurrent issues with component installation is to give an SBCA Jobsite Package to the general contractor and framing crew on every job.
Simply having your driver drop the Jobsite Package off with the component package at the jobsite isn’t enough.
Anytime you work with a GC or an inexperienced crew for the first time, consider visiting with them ahead of delivery and walk them through the information in the jobsite package.
The truss industry follows the requirements of the building code and ANSI/TPI 1 for general project scope of work concepts.
The Truss Designer identifies the location of required individual truss member lateral restraint and diagonal bracing on each Truss Design Drawing.
The JOBSITE PACKAGE can prove invaluable in documenting that the CM provided industry best practices on truss bracing, particularly when a project goes in a bad direction.
CMs deal with customers with a wide range of skill sets, including those who have drawn their house plans on a McDonald’s paper napkin. I wish I were making this up!
While CMs are not responsible for ensuring that customers brace jobs correctly, they can provide BCSI documents to help customers build a better building and stay safe.
The BCSI book and B-Series Summary Sheets are a CM's saving grace, especially if the customer plans to install the trusses on their own or not hire an engineer of record.
In case you ever needed a picture to define the importance of diagonal bracing in the context of lateral restraint (i.e., top chord purlins as well), these photos of long span trusses say it all.
