Cross-Bracing Design

Abstract

The stability of cross bracing in which two diagonal members are used to resist a shear type load are studied, one member being in tension and one in compression. The results of a series of tests demonstrate that the present design method that neglects the effect of the compression member is conservative. An analytical approach is presented for predicting the maximum cross-bracing load. The tension member acts to brace the compression member with the result that the latter carries a significant portion of the total load. The maximum load may be assumed as that resisted by the two members when the compression member reaches its critical load.