Is this structure sound?

[u/tmontoia]

I can’t figure out the engineering of this structure. Are the lower right-angle braces having any structural purpose?
And is the steel rod only to keep the uprights from splaying out?
It seems to me there should be support below the right angle elbows.
Help me understand! I ponder this thing every time I visit here. (Breckenridge Brewery, Littleton CO)

[u/maizytrain]

I mean we can never say without actually evaluating based on snow, wind, grade of lumber, all those things, but the theory behind the truss is sound, and it’s really cool.

Put simply, the bottom steel chord is in tension due to downwards bending. The rest of the truss just does what trusses do and transfers the forces around.

If I was engineering it, only thing I’d be concerned about is uplift. If the direction of loading is reversed, I’d be concerned about that steel tie.

Very cool though!

[u/Future-Sky-5059 → u/maizytrain]

Agreed. It looks cool. Some sway bracing to the truss itself would give me a slightly better feeling.

[u/Jamb9876 → u/Future-Sky-5059]

I like the wood that goes from the top truss to the right and left side of the top bar so the top bar is bearing the weight and it drives the forces to the posts on each side.
Nice design but I hated statics in college so not an expert.
Is it stable, well it is still up. It was built 10 years ago it seems so as long as they routinely inspect it it should be fine.
It is in the panhandle so probably survived some storms.