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Bridge truss stress analysis

A truss member carries a working load. To size its bracing, we scale that load by a safety factor to get the force the member must be able to resist. Try a different load or safety factor to see how that force changes.

working_load

=

safety_factor

=

Sizing the bracing

The allowed force is the working load multiplied by the safety factor:

\begin{matrix} allowed_force & = & working_load \times safety_factor \\ = & 12 \times 1.5 \\ = & 18 \end{matrix}

So the member must be able to resist a force of 18, which sets the size of its bracing.