An A-frame is a basic

structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

designed to bear a

load Load or LOAD may refer to: Aeronautics and transportation *Load factor (aeronautics), the ratio of the lift of an aircraft to its weight *Passenger load factor, the ratio of revenue passenger miles to available seat miles of a particular transpo ...

in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

s, arranged in an angle of 45 degrees or less, attached at the top, like an uppercase letter 'A'. These materials are often wooden or steel beams attached at the top by rope,

welding Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Welding is distinct from lower ...

, gluing, or

rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched ...

ing.

A-frames can be used as-is, as part of

shears Shears may refer to: Cutting devices * Scissors, also called shears * Hair-cutting shears * Blade shears, typically used for shearing animals * Grass shears, for lawn trimming * Kitchen shears, scissors used in the kitchen for food preparation * ...

, or set up in a row along a longitudinal beam for added stability, as in a

saw horse In woodworking, a saw-horse or sawhorse (saw-buck, trestle, buck) is a trestle structure used to support a board or plank for sawing. A pair of sawhorses can support a plank, forming a scaffold. In certain circles, it is also known as a ''mu ...

. More complex structures will often have

crossmember A crossmember is a structural section that is transverse to the main structure. In the automotive industry, the term typically refers to a component, usually of steel, usually boxed, that is bolted across the underside of a monocoque / unibody ...

s connecting the A-frames at different angles,"A-frame" (2009). ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0). Oxford University Press. forming a

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

Other structures that use A-frames

* A-frame house * A-frame hydroponics system * A-frame contour measuring

spirit level A spirit level, bubble level, or simply a level, is an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal (level) or vertical (plumb). Different types of spirit levels may be used by carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers, other ...

* A frame camping

tent A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using gu ...

A-frame complex In organometallic chemistry, A-frame complexes are coordination compounds that contain two bridging bidentate ligands and a single atom bridge. They have the formula , where ''bd'' is a bidentate ligand like dppm, and X and L are a wide variet ...

, a motif in chemistry * Folding

ladder A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps used for climbing or descending. There are two types: rigid ladders that are self-supporting or that may be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rollable ladders, such a ...

* Double wishbone suspension (cars) * Some

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

s * Some swing bridges * A-frame level: An A-frame with a plumb line hung from the vertex, used to establish a horizontal line; known in ancient Egypt, these were used in Europe until the mid–19th century. * At the stern of ships for fishing or research * The main building of Florida's

Disney's Contemporary Resort Disney's Contemporary Resort, originally to be named Tempo Bay Hotel and previously the Contemporary Resort Hotel, is a resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Opened on October 1, 1971, the hotel is one of two or ...

, in which the

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...

monorail has a station * Some

Wienerschnitzel Wienerschnitzel is an American fast food chain founded in 1961 (as "Der Wienerschnitzel") that specializes in hot dogs. Despite the name, the company does not sell Wiener schnitzel, only selling it once as a promotional item. Wienerschnitzel l ...

and Whataburger restaurants use the A-frame * The

London Eye The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United ...

is supported by only one A-frame on one side. * Some

beam engine A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newco ...

s use an A-frame

References

{{reflist Structural system