Mechanical Characteristics of Tubular Truss Structures

Mechanical Characteristics of Tubular Truss Structures

Tubular truss structures are lattice structures composed of circular members connected at their ends. Compared to traditional open-section steel trusses (such as H-beams and I-beams), tubular truss structures feature a more uniform distribution of material around the neutral axis. This configuration provides excellent load-bearing capacity against compression, bending, and torsion, along with high stiffness. This type of steel structure does not require gusset plates, resulting in simple detailing, ease of fabrication and installation, good structural stability, and high roof rigidity.

When subjected to uniformly distributed vertical loads, triangular space tubular trusses exhibit a mechanical behavior where the web members resist shear forces, while the chord members resist bending moments. The axial forces in the chord members are primarily influenced by the cross-sectional depth of the truss, whereas the axial forces in the vertical diagonal web members are mainly affected by their inclination angle relative to the vertical direction. The horizontal web members experience relatively small forces under vertical loads. However, if significant torsional effects are present, it is necessary to appropriately increase their cross-sectional dimensions.