Abstract: An improvement in the art of bowstring roof truss construction comprising an altered web pattern in which the diagonal and vertical webs, normally converging at points alternately within the geometric confines of the top chord and the bottom chord, intersect or converge rather at points intermediate between top and bottom chord on massive vertical webs. This system facilitates more head room and walk-through space where a floor is framed into the bottom chord of the truss. This system comprises (1) an arched top chord with intersecting vertical and diagonal webs, (2) displaced intersection points of the diagonal webs onto the massive vertical webs, (3) a suspension assembly to hang the bottom chord using direct bearing and (4) a separate assembly to transmit the longitudinal truss-action forces from the vertical webs to the bottom chord.

Abstract: A wood roof truss construction comprising, in combination, a pair of redundant superpositioned load support systems, namely a tied-arch system and a wood bowstring truss system. The wood truss system comprises an arch, a web system depending from said arch and a horizontally oriented bottom bichord member secured to the web system and bridging the ends of the arch and anchored to said ends by a U-strap. A connecting assembly is coupled to the U-strap and to an elongate steel tension rod disposed between the two members forming the bottom bichord. Transverse spacers are provided along the length of the bichord comprising spacer sleeves, through-bolts and/or U-plates coupling the gusset plates or straps employed to anchor the web members to the bottom bichord said transverse members serving also to support the tension rod in the absence of being fixedly secured thereto.