Theoretical Analysis of Truss Height-to-span Ratio Selection

Abstract

Trusses are widely used in the field of bridge nowadays, and have the advantages of fast construction speed. However, the current researches on trusses are limited. This paper mainly studies the problem of trusses height-to-span ratio. In this paper, a single simple truss bridge with a span of 80 meters is taken as an example, and the model is established by using the structural mechanics solver. In the case of changing the height-to-span ratio, the same load is applied to the truss. The relationship between the height-to-span ratio and the maximum axial force of the truss members is analyzed, and the functional relationship is fitted. A simple cost model is established, and the performance and cost of height-to-span ratio are discussed. The final optimal height-to-span ratio was found to be 0.1268, which falls within the range of commonly used empirical values of 0.1 to 0.2, providing theoretical support for the design of truss height-to-span ratios.