Our recent NCSEA webinar, Investigating and Evaluating Wood Truss Designs: Empowering Structural Engineers to Diagnose, Investigate, and Innovate with Confidence, was packed with insights for structural engineers working with wood trusses. Below, we've summarized key takeaways from the session to help you quickly understand the content.

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Overview
Introduction to Paragon and the Presenter
- John Holland, CEO of Paragon: A third-generation component manufacturer, John has decades of experience in the truss industry and has played a leading role in developing cutting-edge software solutions for truss design.
- About Paragon: Founded in 2016, Paragon offers the most advanced wood truss design software available, including tools for modeling, diagnosing, and repairing trusses.
The Roles of Structural Engineers with Wood Trusses
- Truss Doctor: Prescribing repairs and remedies for damaged or modified trusses.
- Truss Detective: Investigating and diagnosing failures or performance issues in existing trusses.
- Truss Designer: Designing truss systems to meet aesthetic, structural, and economic goals.
Key Learning Objectives
- Model trusses to assess existing designs for new conditions.
- Identify assumptions and common practices in truss loading and analysis.
- Evaluate truss modifications or damages and design effective solutions.
- Understand the tools available in Paragon for precise and efficient truss analysis.
Highlights
Truss Repairs
- Common scenarios include unapproved modifications or damages such as HVAC installations cutting through truss webs.
- The importance of modeling trusses accurately to determine stresses and prescribe repairs using tools like Paragon.
Using Paragon for Repairs
- Paragon simplifies repair modeling, allowing engineers to:
- Measure existing truss dimensions.
- Lock material grades and plate sizes.
- Analyze forces to design gussets or scabs for reinforcement.
Forensic Investigations
- Investigate failures to determine causes (e.g., design flaws, installation errors, material issues).
- Analyze historical truss designs against modern codes and standards to identify potential weaknesses.
- Utilize Paragon’s analog modeling and detailed load case breakdowns for in-depth analysis.
Designing Trusses
- Paragon empowers engineers with tools to:
- Model and analyze trusses with complex geometries and loads.
- Simulate modifications to meet evolving design requirements.
- Collaborate seamlessly with truss fabricators through exportable designs.
Value Engineering
- Optimize truss designs to balance performance, cost, and constructability.
- Run iterative analyses to explore alternative configurations and materials.
Learn More
To explore Paragon’s powerful tools for truss design and analysis, sign up for a free account here.