LONG SPAN STRUCTURES

Shalin Kapadi & Ajay Kushwaha | ABCM | 29.06.2021

Div A| Sem 9
LONG SPAN STRUCTURES
What we consider long span structures are structures with spans larger than 20 meters. The most
common types of long-span structures are trusses, beams, folded plates, shell structures, frames, and
tent structures or tensile structures.

Materials suitable for long span structures –

1. All reinforced concrete including precast
2. All metal (e.g. mild-steel, structural steel, stainless steel or alloyed aluminum)
3. All timber
4. Laminated timber
5. Metal/RC combined
6. Plastic-coated Textile material
7. Fiber reinforced plastic

Div A| Sem 9
LONG SPAN BEAMS
Beams greater than 30m in span are said to
be long span beams.
• Long span beams can achieve –
a. Flexible column free internal spaces
b. Reduced foundation costs
c. Reduced steel erection time.

• Adapted to facilitate the integration of

services without increasing the overall
floor depth

• Design is generally carried out in

accordance with the IS.

Aashto Beams –
 Aashto I-beams
 American Association of State Highway
and Transportation Officials
 This beam is mostly used for bridge.

Div A| Sem 9
PARALLEL BEAM APPROACH
• Effective for spans up to
around 20-30 meters.

• Floor grid – two layers of

fully continuous beams
running in orthogonal
directions.

• Services running in either

direction can be integrated
within two layers, so that
services passing through
in any direction can be
accommodated within the
structural floor depth.

• Being fully continuous,

the depth of beams
themselves is reduced
without increasing the
expense and complexity of
rigid, full strength
connections.

Div A| Sem 9
PARALLEL BEAM APPROACH
• Application –
Parallel beam
approach provides an economic
solution for industrial and
commercial structures, being
particularly advantageous for
buildings with high service contents.

• Advantages –
a. enables continuity of the beams to
be achieved without the high cost
of moment-resisting connections
b. improves efficiency for long-span
applications and can save erection
time and costs
c. can be advantageous for
certain floor layouts for highly
serviced buildings

• Disadvantages –
a. would lead to deeper floor
construction
b. Increases overall height of the
building due to double layer for the
floor

Div A| Sem 9
COMPOSITE BEAM WITH WEB OPENINGS
• Web openings are typically
formed in beams to allow
services to pass through
the beam, reducing the
effective overall depth of
floor construction for a
given spanning capality or
for aesthetic reasons.

• Span – 15-30 meters

• The alternative way of

forming the web opening
is simply to cut them into
the plate used to form the
web of a plate girder, or
the web of a rolled section.

• The openings may require

stiffening to avoid
instability of the web posts

• Composite beam
minimizes the overall floor
depth than parallel beam
approach.

Div A| Sem 9
COMPOSITE BEAM WITH WEB OPENINGS
• Application –
Industrial and
commercial structures, being
particularly advantageous for
buildings with high service contents.

• Advantages –
a. enables the structural and service
zones to occupy the same space,
thereby reducing the effective
overall depth of floor construction
for a given spanning capability
b. Openings may also be formed for
aesthetic reasons
c. cost effective solution for spans in
the range 10 to 16 m.

• Disadvantages –
a. openings introduce a number of
potential failure modes
b. Large openings may require
stiffening to avoid instability
(buckling) of the web posts.

Div A| Sem 9
TAPERED GIRDERS
• Span – 15-30 meters

• Allow services to be
accommodated within the
structural floor zone.

• Depth increases towards

mid-span, where applied
moments are greatest, and
thereby facilitating
hanging services under
the shallower regions near
beam supports.

• It is possible to form web

openings in tapered
girders in regions of low
shear, towards mid-span.
These provide more
options for service
integration.

Div A| Sem 9
TAPERED GIRDERS
• Application –
Tapered beam framing
is a highly versatile type of metal
building frame that can be used for a
wide variety of buildings.
Tapered beam frames are especially
well-suited to clear span construction
from single span to multi-span
designs.
Tapered elements are being utilized
with increasing frequency in bridges
and commercial steel construction.

• Advantages –
a. cost effective solution in the span
range 10 m to 20 m

Div A| Sem 9
HAUNCHED COMPOSITE BEAMS
• Haunches may be added
at the ends of composite
beam to provide moment
continuity.

• The stiffness and strength

of the connections mean
that the rest of the span
can be shallower (the
bending moment diagram
is ‘lifted’ and the effective
stiffness of the beam
substantially increased),
and services passed under
it.

• In buildings where the

services are likely to need
frequent replacement,
hanging the services
under the beams can be
advantageous.

• Spans in excess of 20m

can readily be achieved.

Div A| Sem 9
HAUNCHED COMPOSITE BEAMS
• Application –
Haunched composite
beams can be used in cases where
the beams frame directly into the
major axis of columns, and where the
size of the columns is such that
substantial moment can be
transferred from the beam to the
column

• Advantages –
a. Enhanced ability to bridge larger
spans with reduced depth.
b. Efficient use of materials thereby
weights reduction of the building
for a given vertical/lateral
stiffness.
c. Gain in space for placement of
utilities; water, electricity, HVAC,
etc.

• Disadvantages –
a. Material overwork and specialist
workforce needed if steel
construction.
b. Likely loss of ductility in the
overall system.

Div A| Sem 9
STUB GIRDERS
• Vierendeel form of truss.

• Bottom chord – formed

from a shallow open
section (H-beam), on
which sit short lengths
(stubs) of deeper I-
sections.

• The number of
elements/surfaces
associated with stub
girder may increase the
cost of fire protection
compared with simpler
solutions.

• Spans in excess of 20m

can be economically
achieved. Services and/or
secondary beams can pass
through gaps between the
beam stubs.

Div A| Sem 9
STUB GIRDERS
• Application –
The stub girder has
sometimes been used as part of the
lateral load-resisting system of steel-
framed buildings
• Advantages –
a. provides ample space for routing
mechanical ductwork throughout a
floor while achieving a reduced
floor construction depth as
compared to conventional steel
framing.
b. floor beams are designed as
continuous members, which
results in steel savings and
reduced deflections
c. reduces the amount of structural
steel in the floor system by about
25%,

Div A| Sem 9
LONG SPAN TRUSSES
• A truss is essentially a triangulated
system of straight interconnected
structural elements.

• The most common use of trusses is in

buildings, where support to roofs, the
floors and internal loading such as
services and suspended ceilings, area
readily provided.

• The main reasons for using trusses are –

a. Long span

b. Lightweight

c. Reduced deflection (compared to plain

members)

d. Opportunity to support considerable

loads.

Div A| Sem 9
TRUSS
• A roof truss is a structure that includes
one or multiple triangular units that
include straight slender members with
their ends connected via nodes.

• Trusses are frame works in which the

members are subjected to essentially
axial forces due to externally applied
load.

• Bending leads to compression in the top

chords (or horizontal members), tension
in the bottom chords, and either tension
or compression in the vertical and
diagonal members, depending on their
orientation.

• External loads on the nodes Tension and

Compression members Long Span Beams
Long Span Trusses Portal Frames
Introduction

Div A| Sem 9
TRUSSES
• Pitched roof trusses
• Parallel roof trusses

• Trapezoidal trusses

Div A| Sem 9
PRATT TRUSS
• Pratt trusses are
commonly used in long
span.
• In a conventional Pratt
truss, diagonal members
are in tension for gravity
loads.
• This type of truss is used
where gravity loads are
predominant.

• An alternative Pratt truss

is shown where the
diagonal members are in
tension for uplift loads.
This type of truss is used
where uplift loads are
predominant, which may
be the case in open
building such Aircraft
hangers
• It is possible to add
secondary members to –
a. Create intermediate
support points for applied
loads
b. Limit the buckling length
of members in
compression as Aircraft
hangers Div A| Sem 9
PRATT TRUSS
• Application –
It is mainly used for
rail bridges, showing off a simple and
very strong design.
Where a cost effective design is
required
Where a mix of loads are applied
Where a simple structure is required

• Advantages –
a. Aware of member’s behavior –
diagonal members are in tension,
vertical members in compression
b. The above can be used to design a
cost effective structure
c. Simple design
d. Well accepted and used design

• Disadvantages –
a. Not as advantageous if the load is
not vertical

Div A| Sem 9
WARREN TRUSS
• In this type of truss,
diagonal members are
alternatively in tension
and in compression.

• The Warren truss has

equal length compression
and tension web members,
and fewer members than a
Pratt truss.

• A modified Warren truss

may be adopted where
additional members are
introduced to provide a
node at (for example)
purlin locations.

• Warren trusses are

commonly used in long
span buildings ranging
from 20 to 100m in span.
This type of truss is also
used for the horizontal
truss of gantry/ crane
girders.

Div A| Sem 9
WARREN TRUSS
• Application –
Long span
structures
Where an evenly distributed
load is to be supported
Where a simple structure is
required

• Advantages –
a. Spreads load fairly evenly
between members
b. Fairly simple design

• Disadvantages –
a. Poorer performance under
concentrated loads
b. Increased constructability
due to additional members

Div A| Sem 9
NORTH LIGHT TRUSS
• North light trusses are
traditionally used for short
spans in industrial
workshop-type buildings.

• They allow maximum

benefit to be gained from
natural lighting by the use
of glazing on the steeper
pitch which generally
faces north or north-east
to reduce solar gain

• On the steeper sloping

portion of the truss, it is
typical to have a truss
running perpandicular to
the plane of the North
Light truss, to provide
large column-free space.

Div A| Sem 9
NORTH LIGHT TRUSS
• Application –
This type of
truss system is used in
industrial construction where
manufacturing activities take
place on a large scale

• Advantages –
a. maximum benefit to be
gained from natural
lighting

• Disadvantages –
a. when the span exceeds 12
m it is undesirable to use
single bay north light truss
b. there is very limited depth
alongside the valley beam
for the fall (slope) of
rainwater pipes from valley
gutter outlets to rainwater
down pipes fixed to
internal columns

Div A| Sem 9
FINK TRUSS
• The Fink truss offers
economy in terms of steel
weight for short-span
high-pitched roofs as the
members are subdivided
into shorter elements.

• There are many ways of

arranging and subdividing
the chords and internal
members.

• This type of truss is

commonly used to
construct roofs in houses.

• Fink trusses are used for

longer spans having high
pitch roof, since the web
members in such truss
are sub-divided to obtain
shorter members.

Div A| Sem 9
FINK TRUSS
• Application –
They are used
for longer spans having high
pitch roof, since the web
members in such truss are
subdivided to obtain shorter
members.

• Advantages –
a. perfect solution for many
architectural designs and
allows for several different
types of roof lines, while
providing the strength and
stability needed.
b. They are light, but strong.
c. They can be built under
extreme conditions

• Disadvantages –
a. any alteration in its
support and the loading
on it needs to be checked,
this could compromise the
integrity of the roof, and
perhaps of the whole
building.

Div A| Sem 9
LATTICE GIRDER
• It is commonly made
using a combination of
structural sections
connected with diagonal
lacing.

• This member is more

correctly referred to as a
laced strut or laced tie.

• Main types of lattice –

a. Parallel beam
b. Parallel pitched beam
c. Curved beam
d. Pitched truss
e. Tapered truss
f. Inverted truss
g. Curved truss
h. Double curved (wave)
truss

Div A| Sem 9
LATTICE GIRDER
• Application –
The lattice
girder was used prior to the
development of larger rolled
steel plates. It has been
supplanted in modern
construction with welded or
bolted plate girders

• Advantages –
a. Time savings (milestone,
competitive offer, possible
production cost savings)
b. Advantageous for
complicated shapes

• Disadvantages –
a. Higher material costs
b. In adverse geological
conditions, cannot fully
substitute standard
primary lining with steel
bar reinforcement.

Div A| Sem 9
GENERAL GEOMETRY

• For efficient structural performance, the ratio of span to truss depth should be chosen in the range 10
to 15. The architectural design of the building determines its external geometry and governs the
slope(s) given to the chord of the truss.

• The intended use of the internal space can lead either to the choice of a horizontal bottom chord. For
an efficient layout of the truss members between the chords, the following is advisable –

a. The inclination of the diagonal members in relation to the chords should be between 35 degrees to 55
degrees.

b. Point loads should only be applied at nodes.

c. The orientation of the diagonal members should be such that the longest members are subject to
tension (the shorter ones being subject to compression).

Div A| Sem 9