A truss configuration with a curved top chord and straight bottom chord connected by vertical or angled members, resembling an archer's bow. Bowstring trusses combine the efficiency of arches with the constructability of straight members.
Named for its resemblance to an archer's bow, with 'bowstring' referring to the straight bottom chord. The architectural term developed in the 19th century as engineers adapted the visual metaphor to describe this hybrid structural form.
Bowstring trusses were revolutionary for 19th-century train sheds and market halls because they provided the soaring space of an arch while using standard straight steel members! The curved top chord carries loads in compression like an arch, while the straight bottom chord acts as a tension tie.
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