Light gauge metal truss system and method

A single-piece roll-formed generally U-shaped elongated structural chord member of light gauge metal comprising in cross-section:

• a base;
• and
• two substantially parallel legs extending from the longitudinal edges of said base, each of said legs comprising:
• a first outer face adjacent said base along the length thereof;
• a second outer face adjacent the distal end of said leg along a portion of the length thereof, said second outer face being substantially coplanar with said first outer face;
• and
• an inwardly recessed web attachment face connected at each end thereof to one of said outer faces along the length thereof by a lateral portion extending outwardly at a substantially right angle from said web attachment face.

A truss comprising:

• an elongated upper chord member;
• an elongated lower chord member;
• and a plurality of interconnecting web members,
• said upper or lower chord member being a generally U-shaped elongated structural chord member comprising in cross-section at least seven faces, each of said faces being either substantially parallel to or substantially perpendicular to the other of said faces.

A truss comprising:

• an elongated upper chord member;
• an elongated lower chord member;
• and
• a plurality of interconnecting web members, one or more of said web members being an elongated structural load bearing member comprising a pair of elongated members, each of said members comprising in cross-section a web and two flanges extending from the longitudinal edges of said web in the same direction at a substantially right angle thereto, one of said flanges extending farther from said web than the other of said flanges, each of said flanges terminating in an inwardly turned lip extending toward the other of the flanges, said members being nested so that the shorter of the flanges of each member is adjacent to and inside of the longer of the flanges of the other member so that the two nested members form a generally box-shaped web member,
• wherein said upper or lower chord member comprises in cross-section:
• a base portion comprising a generally planar base, an outer face extending from each longitudinal edge of said base at a substantially right angle thereto, and a lateral face extending inwardly from the distal edge of each outer face at substantially a right angle thereto;
• two substantially parallel web attachment faces, each web attachment face extending from an inner edge of one of said lateral faces at a substantially right angle thereto;
• and
• a reinforcement flange extending from the distal edge of each web attachment face, each of said reinforcement flanges comprising a lateral flange face extending outwardly from the distal edge of said web attachment face at a substantially right angle thereto and an outer flange face extending toward said base from said lateral flange face at a substantially right angle thereto.

A method of making a plurality of elongated structural chord members comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an elongated sheet of light gauge metal;
• (b) forming one or more elongated grids of apertures along the length of the sheet;
• (c) forming one or more pilot holes in one or more of the apertured portions of the sheet;
• (d) removing portions of the sheet from each elongated edge thereof to thereby form one or more elongated narrowed portions along the length of the sheet;
• (e) bending the sheet to form a generally U-shaped elongated structural member;
• and
• (f) transversely cutting the elongated member in each narrowed portion thereof to thereby form a plurality of generally U-shaped elongated structural chord members.

A method of fabricating a truss comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an upper and a lower elongated structural chord member, the chord members comprising in cross-section:
• a base portion comprising a generally planar base, an outer face extending from each longitudinal edge of said base at a substantially right angle thereto, and a lateral face extending inwardly from the distal edge of each outer face at substantially a right angle thereto;
• and
• two substantially parallel web attachment faces, each web attachment face extending from an inner edge of one of said lateral faces at a substantially right angle thereto;
• and
• (b) providing a plurality of interconnecting elongated structural web members, the web members comprising a pair of elongated members, each of said members comprising in cross-section a web and two flanges extending from the longitudinal edges of said web in the same direction at a substantially right angle thereto, one of said flanges extending farther from said web than the other of said flanges, each of said flanges terminating in an inwardly turned lip extending toward the other of the flanges, said members being nested so that the shorter of the flanges of each member is adjacent to and inside of the longer of the flanges of the other member so that the two nested members form a generally box-shaped web member;
• and
• (c) positioning and attaching one end of each web member between the web attachment faces of the upper chord member and positioning and attaching the other end of the web members between the web attachment faces of the lower chord member.

A method of fabricating a truss comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing upper and lower elongated structural chord members, each of the chord members having a generally U-shaped cross-section adapted to attachably receive the end portions of elongated structural web members between the legs forming the generally U-shaped cross-section thereof;
• (b) providing one or more grids of apertures along the length of the legs of the chord members;
• (c) providing one or more pilot holes along the length of the chord member to thereby facilitate the positioning of web members for attachment to the chord members;
• (d) providing a plurality of interconnecting elongated structural web members;
• (e) positioning and attaching one end of each web member between the legs of the upper chord member and positioning and attaching the other end of the web members between the legs of lower chord member,
• wherein the chord members comprise in cross-section:
• a base portion comprising a generally planar base, an outer face extending from each longitudinal edge of said base at a substantially right angle thereto, and a lateral face extending inwardly from the distal edge of each outer face at substantially a right angle thereto;
• and
• two substantially parallel web attachment faces, each web attachment face extending from an inner edge of one of said lateral faces at a substantially right angle thereto.