Occasional Electronic Publication No. 1 - Society for Industrial ...

Howe Configurations
A Howe truss is characterized by rectangular panels with tension verticals and compression diagonals.
The most commonly built variations of the Howe truss used timber for their upper chords and crossed
diagonals, and wrought-iron for their lower chords and verticals. Although technically a “combination”
truss due to the use of two materials, truss literature often refers to these examples as timber trusses, no
doubt due to the earlier all-timber examples.
PATENT CHRONOLOGY
Howe truss - compression diagonals & tension verticals.
Howe truss with counters
Long, G. 1830: Timber. Polygonal top chord. Single compression diagonal in each panel.
Long, S. 1830, 1836, 1839: All of Steven Long's patented trusses have timber chords and web members. Due
to the joinery system they have tension verticals and compression diagonals. They have no iron members.
Howe 1840, July: Timber. Pattern of V-shaped bracing in each panel. Full-span arch.
Howe 1840, Aug.: Crossed, double-intersecting, compression diagonals. All-timber except for vertical rods.
Osborn 1845: First all-metal Howe truss configuration. Not patented.
Hassard 1846: Timber. Multi-panel struts at ends.
Harbach 1846: Iron pipe used for all members except for vertical rods.
Childs 1846: Timber except for counter rods.
Fink 1857: Timber. All panels have crossed diagonals plus ties from diagonal intersections to lower chord.
Briggs 1858: Timber chords. Rubber pad “springs” in compression joints.
Ham 1859: Curved, iron, top chord, with three additional full-span arches.
Jones 1860: Diagonals are pipes. Verticals are rods. Sloped end posts.
Heath 1862: Forked diagonals. Screw sockets used for lower-chord connections.
Jones 1863: Iron. Similar to the 1860 patent. Diagonals are stiffened.
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