How Trusses Work! (Structures 5-1) 

this is what's great about RU-vid, by accident you learn about something you've been observing but not really understand for years 👍

First time viewer. Genius is the ability to teach a complicated subject clearly, simply and comprehend able to an average person. Thank you for your time and knowledge.

That was brilliant. I really liked how you developed this, logically, from a single tension and a single compression structure to a structure with multiple members. Thank you.

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. I had a basic understanding of the loads involved in a truss, but some times had a hard time determining how the load was transferred through the structure. And it turns out because I was looking at it backwards. I would look at a bridge and try to figure out the load distribution by the weight of a truck sitting on it, not as the support structure resisting that load. I’m not sure if I explained that well, but your explanations helped a lot. What finally made it click, where I had that lightbulb eureka moment, was your graphics of the hands supporting the structure. I am very grateful for that, and again I appreciate you making these videos for everybody

What I learnt after a whole career in structural engineering is that most of the time no one really cares about getting even an efficient structure (unless it is the primary structure of something huge), let alone a theoretical optimum. The exception is design-and-build contractors where their profit margin depends on minimising materials, but of course they won't do that at the expense of complication, which costs "more than materials".

One thing that pop in my head is when you build a truss on the ground and you use a crane to put it in place you have to consider that forces (tension and compression) will be the opposite way temporarily while moving it! Good video sir!

As part of my job, I have to record historic bridges, both automotive and railroad. I love watching your video showing how variations on the Warren and Pratt truss bridges work.

I have designed trusses at a wood truss manufacturing plant, but never understood this. The software just did if for me. Thank You for sharing.

Paul this is such a concise and beautiful presentation! Your style works so well, like a great piece of music. Well done!

It's so intuitive and fun when explained like this !

Just discovered this while taking a structures class, this is very helpful and easy to understand. Thankyou!

Liked and subscribed. I am an engineer and having come across your channel by chance I found it to be be beautiful in the simplicity with which you explain things that in our days professors bored us to death with explanations of vectors and forces that in the end left us as ignorant as we were before. Thank you Paul and please continue the illuminating work. Hopefully some young blood will stick with your presentations and learn much from them, especially in the area of being opened to the enthusiasm of learning beautiful concepts.

The tutorial showed up when I needed it the most. God Bless you Sir.

well explained, I think the magic in understanding it all ,is breaking it down into small thinking process blocks

Great explanation Paul. I am an architect, and these kind of clear explanations gelp not to exclude us from understanding structural behavior.

Vid came up with the algorithm while I've been studying for my Architect exams and brushing up on my structures. Just excellent explanations! VERY helpful.

I'm less than two minutes in, but can already tell that I've just struck RU-vid gold! New sub!

wow, you demonstrate the truss concept in step by step, this is very easy to understand and truly a clever method. Thanks!

Thank you sir. Anyone with a PHD can explain physics to other well educated people. It takes a master to explain it well to us simpletons.

As a structural bridge engineer, I often watch your clips and thoroughly enjoy them. You demonstrate great creativity and innovation in your work. Particularly impressive was the clip featuring an arch structure built on a small scale model, where you deformed its shape by applying load with your finger. Additionally, the clip discussing trusses was captivating, especially when you introduced the optimized truss, with one part functioning as an arch and carrying compression loads, while the other part acted as a cable and carried tension loads. Overall, your work is truly amazing. Thank you for creating such incredibly beautiful clips.

Amazing explanation of TENSION & COMPRESSION using a PAPER!!!

I like how you teach visually, as it can be difficult going straight to maths without an intuitive understanding.

Excellent presentation. As a teacher I compliment you on your presentation. A good teacher takes a complicated subject and explains it in an clear and easy manner that could be understood! Kudos!

This is the most brilliant explanation of trusses I have ever seen.

You explain in such a way that it is easy to understand, bravo!

So simple? No, it is made simple. A simple start, add elements one by one, understand each's role, comprehend the larger complecated picture. Very fine tutorial, that neither goes above head, nor allows to forget easily! Kudos.

Wow! The way I look at bridges is changed forever. I had to subscribe after watching this video. Thank you 👍

That part about the optimization of trusses spot on

I liked his diagrams. They showed the magnitude and direction of forces in a way I could understand.

Me watching these videos so I can built better bridges in Poly Bridge 3.

Thank you sir Very interesting especially the arches and cables you find in the efficient truss

I love just going out in the world and trying to understand things work and being able to just ask that question and get a video on it.

Structural Engineer: uses hi NOSE to point out something Me: EVEN MORE respect

Great video with clear explanations!

Wonderful explanation made simple and elegant to understand 😊. Thank you paul

Love this video.... Well illustrated for the beginner...

God bless a true educator! Paul just found your lessons when you trusses lesson came along my feed. I'm 47 big old goof who only took physics for dummies in college and nothing ever in high school. This is so very interesting and well presented. So very well done Paul, thank you. I can't wait to get to your other content. And watch this one on trusses again.

Very basic knowledge that many people don’t know. Thanks

Thank you for that. You bridged my understanding

best video so far for me, this is perfect for civil engineering students. more power to you sir thank you

Nicely explained! Brings back my Statics lectures from a few decades ago. I might have to dig my textbook...

Beautifully explained and great outro music.

Genius teaching style. Take love from Bangladesh ❤️❤️

I’m so friggin pumped on this channel!!!❤❤❤

I am a land surveyor currently doing my stage. I very much hope to work on a large world-class bridge at some point in my career. I have long loved bridges and considered them the greatest expression of Human engineering - because they link People together, they span gaps, they encourage exchange and cultural fluidity. The Ancient Roman Princeps was also the "Pontifex Maximus", the "Great Bridge-Builder". Spanning gaps is a Human fixation, it seems. There's so much glory in a great elegant bridge.

Thanks for a truly excellent presenttion of the concept of tension/compression in trusses. If only the rest of the world could employ logic as well as you engineers....

Fantastic work! Thanks Paul!

That is brilliant ,it instigates useful ideas that can be used in truss and tie model in the design of deep beams of reinforced concrete designs

I dropped out of engineering college because I couldn't understand or imagine in my head,this particular topic.. only if teacher like you could have changed everything.. again thank you for the upload 🙏

UÁU !. Inglish Is not my original idiom, but, any way, I can say your class was realy wonderfool!!! ( from Argentina).

I know this is a late comment, but this explained it well, thanks Paul.

Wonderful explanation made simple and elegant to understand 😊. Tha k you paul

10:40 ❤ “when you have a limited situation or something you can control, you are able to optimize more”

Poly Bridge leaderboards, here I come!

That last structure looked like a spider's web 😊

I like the way you explain. I found your approach very logical and easy to follow.

3:12 the best explanation , ever, on youtube !

you had me at "I'm a structural engineer"

Sophisticated and simple. That's brillian.

These videos are great for helping me throughout my apprenticeship!

Amazing teacher!

Awesome explanation !!!

Thank you, simple and concise!

Good illistration technique

Nice use of West Point Bridge Designer! I used that with my middle school Technology Education students for many years.

3:35 “you have to truss me on this”, well played

Great informative video.

Hello Paul, I’ve been trying to find the right definition or rather the exact difference between a beam and a girder, I am a marine engineer so I deal with beams and girders on a daily basis, but I find them structurally very similar so it would be great if you could help me break down their fundamentals….. Thanks for the videos… keep them coming!

I once made a small truss bridge for my daughter's cat. It was made of 1/4" x 3/4" pieces of white pine . Finished size was about 8 feet long and 6" x 6" square.. It was held together with hot melt glue. Imagine my surprise when we tested it's actual strength. It would hold two 90lb. bags of concrete!

You are a great teacher! Nice job with this.

Fantastic video thank you for explaining all the physics behind each of the different kinds of geometry that was very helpful. I’m trying to learn how to build trusses in the house and this definitely answered my questions.

Great lesson thanks for this lecture

Brilliant .. God bless You !

Hey: I have been watching your video series on structures, and I would like to commend you on both the quality and content of these videos...really well done. In terms of trusses, which truss design do you favor for over all strength for uniform compression loads? Again, thank you for taking the time and effort to make the structure videos.

Great presentation!

Wow. Thank you so much. Inspiring.

by mistake i finaly found a worthy channel .

Truss him guys, he's an engineer!

Excellent Poly Bridge 2 tutorial.

now , i am a structural engineer !

좋은 영상 감사합니다 탁월한 전달력 최고네요

A wonderful video, a beautiful explanation. thank you very, very much. I am not an engineer but I enjoyed this very much. I always wondered.

Making only one set of lines bend on the paper was the best magic trick I've ever seen, you should headline at Vegas! Just kidding, but it wasfantastic in its simplicity to show a complex idea as was the rest!!! Well done my firend.

Brilliant way to explain the truss geometry... Thanks

Can a truss be made from little trusses, made from even smaller trusses? Something like a fractal truss? Going to a microscopic level you could have a virtually weightless truss

Nicely done ! Cheers !

Soo good!!!!

I wish I could of went to college and participated in programs like this. I had the absolute worst k-12 educational experience and the day I took the California high school proficiency exam was one of the happiest days of my life because I was done with school. I was bored out of my mind and my focus was on the clock counting down the time until I could go home. Who knows what I could of accomplished if I had the proper school environment. Unfortunately I have an eidetic memory so I can vividly remember every single day of school. I often wonder just how many people have similar experiences to myself. I did have one teacher who recognized my abilities and had my intelligence tested and was absolutely astonishing by my IQ score. That teacher attempted to understand how someone with my intelligence was a consistent D- student.

Fantastic!

This might actually help me finish all those bridge building games I own ^^"

You ar an amazing teacher! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I subscribed.

this is actually pretty nice

Thanks from Spain

excellent thanks for your work

thanks... ...bridge builder game...very good for that...

Couldn't help but to notice the final truss looked like a spider web. I don't have a background in this stuff, but thinking the same sort of rules apply for a web structure?

This was a great explanation. Thanks!

Great explanation! Thank you!!!

Liked the «nose corner» 😂

this is great.