Preliminary design of steel frame folded plate roofs

Steel frame folded plate roofs offer the possibility of providing large column free areas, and they have an in-teresting appearance. The only available method for the appropriate design of these frames is the Baer method. This method has many shortcomings and cannot be used in all circumstances. Hence the behaviour of steel frame folded plate roofs was studied by the authors by analysing a number of frames. Based on this study a standard module, which is amenable to préfabrication, was evolved. Design charts have been prepared for this module, and are presented in this paper. Using these charts two examples have been worked out and compared with the computer results. The charts can be used in design offices for the preliminary design of steel frame folded plate roofs without the use of rigorous computer methods. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.