Projected Loads and Snow Loads - Intro to Structural Analysis

This video defines projects loads and presents an example problem using the most common type of projected load, snow loading on a roof truss.

In this example, we will:
1) Compute the reactions forces for combined dead plus snow loading
2) Convert projected loads to distributed loads in the axial and shear directions
3) Compute the axial, shear, and moment diagrams.

For a projected load S, with an angle A between the loading plane and the element to which the load is applied, there are a few shortcut equations:
~ Distributed Shear Load = S*cos(A)*cos(A)
~ Distributed Axial Load = S*cos(A)*sin(A)
Try these out, and you'll see they match exactly the results shown in the video! In this example, cos(A) = 12/13 and sin(A) = 5/13.