Topic summary
Bowstring truss
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Truss bridge.
Bowstring truss
The bowstring truss bridge was patented in 1841 by Squire Whipple. While similar in appearance to a tied-arch bridge, a bowstring truss has diagonal load-bearing members: these diagonals result in a structure that more closely matches a Parker truss or Pratt truss than a true arch.