| The Pratt
Truss was invented in 1844 by Thomas and Caleb Pratt. In this
configuration, the diagonals are in tension and the verticals in
compression. The diagonals slant downward and towards the
center. This truss can be used with spans up to 250 feet and was a
common configuration for railroad bridges as truss bridges moved from wood
to metal. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view. |
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Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge Tempe, Arizona Nine-span (1912)
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New Hope-Lambertville Bridge Lambertville, New Jersey (1904)
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Calhoun Street Bridge Trenton, New Jersey Pin-connected Pratt Truss (1884) |
Jacobs Creek Bridge Hopewell, New Jersey Half hip Pin-connected Pratt |
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All text and images copyright (c) Steven M. Richman 1997- 2007. |