TIMBER ROOF TRUSS

Timber roof truss King post truss and Queen

post truss (any one to be done as drawings),
and close couple roof
ROOFS
Roofs are one of a buildings primary elements and play
a major part in giving a building its character. The roof design
and roofing materials have a significant impact on the finished
appearance of the residence.

Types of Roof
Flat roof
Pitched roof or sloping roof
Curved roof
GABLE ROOF

The gable roof is a very popular

type of roof. It is easy to build,
sheds water well, provides for
ventilation, and can be applied to
most house designs.

Cross gable roof

GAMBREL ROOF
A traditional shape that dates back to
the colonial period; the lower level is
covered with a steep roof surface,
which connects into the upper roof
system with a slighter Pitch.

Barn/ garages
MANSARD ROOF
The mansard roof is a French
design and is more difficult to
construct than the hip or gable
roof.

A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style

hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides
with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at
a steeper angle than the upper.

The Germania Life Insurance

Company Building in New York
City, built in 1911, with a four-
storey mansard roof[
HIPPED ROOF
The hip roof is slightly more difficult
to build than a gable roof. It is a
popular choice, but does not
provide for ventilation as well as
some designs.

Hip roofs are thus much better suited for hurricane regions
than gable roofs. Hip roofs have no large, flat, or slab-sided
ends to catch wind and are inherently much more stable
than gable roofs.

Cross hipped
roof
SHED ROOF
Offers the same simplicity and
economical construction methods
as a flat roof but does not have the
drainage problems associated with
a flat roof.
COMMON ROOFING
MATERIAL
 ROOF ELEMENTS
1. Span it is the clear distance between the
supports of an arch, beam or roof truss.
2. Rise it is the vertical distance between
the top of the ridge and the wall plate
3. Pitch it is the inclination of the sides of a
roof to the horizontal plane. It is
expressed either in terms of
degrees(angles) or as a ratio of rise to
span.
 Wall plate: Usually 100 x 50 mm softwood
timbers are fixed to the top of load
bearing walls to distribute loads and
provide fixings for roof timbers.
Battens

Cleat
 Post plate

STRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF PITCHED ROOF

SINGLE ROOFS
Single roofs are those which consist of only the rafters which are
supported at the ridge and at the eaves. Such roofs are used only
when the span is limited to 5 meters, otherwise the size of the
rafters will be uneconomical. The maximum span of the rafters
is taken as 2.5 m.

Single roofs are of four types :

lean-to- roof, verandah-roof or shed roof
couple roof
couple close roof
collar beam roof
LEAN TO ROOF
A lean-to is a type of simple
structure originally added to an
existing building with the rafters
"leaning" against another wall.
Free standing lean-to structures
are generally used as shelters.

Usual slope is 30

A lean-to roof is generally used for

sheds, out-houses attached to main
buildings, verandahs, etc. It is suitable
for a maximum span of 2.40 meters.
COUPLE ROOF This type of roof is formed by
couple or pair of rafters which
slope to both the sides of the ridge
of the roof. The upper ends of each
pair of rafter is nailed . to a
common ridge piece and their
lower ends are notched and nailed
to the wooden wall plates
embedded in the masonry on the
top of the outer walls.

Such a roof is not very much

favoured because it has the
tendency to spread out at the
feet (Wall plate level). Due to
this, the couple roof is used
when the span is limited to 3.6
meters.
COUPLE CLOSE ROOF
A couple close roof is similar to
the couple roof, except that the
ends of the couple of common
rafters is connected by horizontal
member, called tie beam to
prevent the rafters from
spreading and thrusting out of
the wall.

A couple-close roof is economically

suitable for spans up to 4.20 m. For
increased span or for greater loads the
rafters may have tendency to sag in the
middle. This can be checked by providing a
central vertical rod, called king rod or king
bolt which connects the ridge piece and
the tie beam
COLLAR BEAM ROOF
When the span increases, or
when the load is more, the
rafters of the couple close roof
have the tendency to bend. This
is avoided by raising the tie
beam and fixing it at one-third
to one-half of the vertical height
from wall plate to the ridge. This
raised beam is known as the
collar beam (or collar tie).
This roof is suitable for spans upto 5
meters. A lower collar position gives
stronger roof. A collar beam provides roof
greater height of the room.
 When the span exceeds about 2.40 meters,
the necessary size for the rafters becomes
DOUBLE OR PURLIN ROOF uneconomical.

These roofs have two basic elements ; (i) rafters, and (ii) purlins.
The purlins give intermediate support to the rafters, and are
supported on end walls. The intermediate supports so provided in
the form of purlins, reduce the size of the rafters to the economical
range. Such a roof is also known as rafter and purlin roof.

The rafters are provided fairly

close (40 to 60 cm c/c). Each
rafter is thus supported at
three points;
(a) at the bottom ; on the
wall through wall plate,
(b) at the top, by the ridge,
and
(c) at the centre by a purlin
TRUSSED ROOF
When the span of the roof exceeds 5 m and where there are no
inside walls to support the purlins, framed structures, known as
trusses are provided at suitable interval along the length of the
room. Spacing is generally limited to 3 meters for wooden
trusses.

In this system, the roof consists of three elements :

(i) rafters to support the roofing material (i.e tiles etc.),
(ii) purlins to provide intermediate support to rafters, and
(iii) trusses to provide support to the ends of purlins.
The various types of trusses in use are :
1. King-post truss.
2. Queen-post truss.
3. Combination of king-post and queen-post trusses.
4. Mansard truss.
5. Truncated truss.
6. Bel-fast truss.
7. Steel trusses.
8. Composite trusses.
The first six types are essentially wooden trusses.
Truss - a framework, typically consisting of
rafters, posts, and struts, supporting a
roof, bridge, or other structure. A roof
truss is a simple assembly of members
forming a rigid framework of triangular
shapes.
KING-POST TRUSS
A king-post truss, consists of the
following components :
(i) lower tie beam,
(ii) two inclined principal rafter
(iii) two struts, and
(iv) a king post.

The principal rafters support the purlins. The purlins support the
closely-spaced common rafters which have the same slope as the
principal rafters. The common rafters support the roof covering as
usual.
The spacing of the king-post truss is limited to
3 m centre to centre. The truss is suitable for
spans varying from 5 to 8 meters.
qThe lower, horizontal. tie beam
receives the ends of the principal
rafters, and prevents the wall from
spreading out due to thrust.
qThe king-post prevents the tie-
beam from sagging at its centre of
span. qThe trusses are supported on the bed blocks
qThe struts connected to the tie of stone or concrete, embedded in the
beams and the principal rafters in supporting walls so that load is distributed to a
inclined direction, prevent the greater area.
sagging of principal rafters.

qRidge beam is provided at the

apex of the roof to provide end
support to the common rafters.
QUEEN-POST TRUSS
A queen-post truss differs from a king-post truss in having two
vertical posts, rather than one. The vertical posts are known as
queen-posts, the tops of which are connected by a horizontal
piece, known as straining beam.
Two struts are provided to
join the feet of each queen-
post to the principal rafter.
The queen-posts are the
tension members. The
straining beams receives
the thrust from the
principal rafters, and keeps
the junction in stable
position.
A straining sill is introduced
on the tie beam between
the queen-posts to
counteract the thrust from
inclined struts which are in
compression.

In absence of the straining sill, the thrust from the strut would
tend to force the foot of the queen-post inwards. Purlins, with
cleats, are provided as in the king-post truss. These trusses are
suitable for spans between 8 to 12 meters.

Blue Tension Red - Compression

COMBINATION OF KING-POST AND
QUEEN-POST TRUSSES
Queen-post trusses are suitable for spans upto 12 meters. For
greater spans. the queen-post truss can strengthened by one
more upright member, called princess-post to each side.

suitable upto 18 m span