Analysis of Brace Stiffness Influence on Stability of the Truss

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the numerical and experimental research of stability of a truss with side elastic supports at the top chord. The structure is a model of a real roof truss scaled by factor ¼. The linear buckling analysis and non-linear static analysis were carried out. The buckling length factor for the compressed top chord was calculated and the limit load for the imperfect truss shell model with respect to brace stiffness was obtained. The relation between brace normal force and loading of the truss is presented. The threshold stiffness of braces necessary to obtain the maximum buckling load was found. The truss load bearing capacity obtained from numerical analysis was compared with Eurocode 3 requirements.

Keywords

• buckling load
• limit load
• brace stiffness
• imperfection