Pratt Truss Bridge

Application ID: 8511

This model is inspired by a classic bridge type called a Pratt truss bridge. You can identify a Pratt truss by its diagonal members, which (except for the very end ones) all slant down and in toward the center of the span. All the diagonal members are subject to tension forces only, while the shorter vertical members handle the compressive forces. Since the tension removes the buckling risk, this allows for thinner diagonal members resulting in a more economic design.

A truss structure supports only tension and compression forces in its members and you would normally model it using bars, but as this model uses 3D beams it also includes bending moments to some extent in a frame structure. In the model, shell elements represent the roadway and both the Shell and Beam interfaces are used.
