ABSTRACT
Tension members are used quite frequently in a variety of steel structures; some of these uses are illustrated in Figure 3.1. Depending principally upon the magnitude of the load to be carried and the type of interconnection to be used between members, any of the structural sections shown in Figure 3.2 may be suitable. Although the major design consideration will be the provision of adequate tensile strength, some limitation on slender-
ness is usually also necessary in order to eliminate possible problems due to excessive sag under self-weight [1], flutter due to wind loads or vibration caused by moving loads. For this reason rods or flats are of limited use, especially if required to act in compression due to reversal of load. When used as diagonal bracing, rods may be pretensioned so as to reduce their self-weight deflections [1].
