T.O. Wall at Gable End Supported with Horizontal Truss
T.O. Wall at Gable End Supported with Horizontal Truss
(OP)
Is the top of a masonry wall at a gable end typically supported with a horizontal truss? I have a 40' long wall with a starting height of 16' and a peak height of about 33'. I am going to use a gable end truss over the wall and am considering using a horizontal truss, spanning between the perpendicular walls, to brace the top of the masonry. Thanks in advance.





RE: T.O. Wall at Gable End Supported with Horizontal Truss
RE: T.O. Wall at Gable End Supported with Horizontal Truss
RE: T.O. Wall at Gable End Supported with Horizontal Truss
Are the tops of the walls at the same height? If so, no worries.
If not, I see a possible problem with a knuckle joint at the top of the CMU.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask
RE: T.O. Wall at Gable End Supported with Horizontal Truss
RE: T.O. Wall at Gable End Supported with Horizontal Truss
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask
RE: T.O. Wall at Gable End Supported with Horizontal Truss
RE: T.O. Wall at Gable End Supported with Horizontal Truss
Thanks for posting the sketch. I see what you are doing, the horizontal truss braces the top of the masonry wall and the wall has a bond beam as the top course. So, the horizontal truss must support its' own weight in the vertical direction and the wind load in the horizontal direction. So, the horizontal truss has to take both wind pressure and wind suction - it has stress reversal based on wind direction.
1. How do you handle that? Is it a parallel chord truss that is anchored at the four corners to the masonry side walls?
2. Do you have to be concerned with dumping load into the roof truss that holds the inside edge of the horizontal truss? I think that would put the roof truss into torsion or at least bending in two directions.
3. Do you have to worry about deflection of the horizontal truss from the applied wind load?