Comparative Assessment of Steel Truss Typologies for Industrial Buildings

Abstract

Efficient design of industrial buildings depends on selecting appropriate portal frame typologies with steel roof trusses. This study compares five two‐dimensional truss configurations: gable, monopitch, sawtooth, twin, and curved/parabolic. For each typology, a parametric study varied the span (10‐s50 m, 5 m steps), the eave height (3‐12 m, 1 m steps), and the roof inclination (5°‐20°, 2° steps), leading to over 5,000 configurations. The models were evaluated through linear‐elastic 2D analysis using the stiffness‐matrix method. Unit vertical nodal loads were applied at roof panel nodes to obtain influence coefficients for displacements and internal forces, and configurations were ranked by their structural performance. Results identify geometric arrangements that promote more uniform force distribution and greater section repetitiveness, reducing construction complexity and supporting optimized steel use. The study provides objective preliminary design criteria for early‐stage decisions and sets the basis for future 3D studies under representative gravity and seismic actions.