What is a key characteristic of a floor truss regarding unsupported spans?

A key characteristic of a floor truss is its design, which typically involves a series of interconnected components that work together to support loads and provide stability. When it comes to unsupported spans, a floor truss has limited capability. This is primarily due to the fact that as the span increases without any intermediate support, the truss must be able to handle not only the vertical loads but also the potential lateral forces and deflections that can occur.

Floor trusses can perform effectively over a reasonable span, but their structural performance diminishes as the span exceeds their designed limits without additional supports. Thus, while they are engineered to sustain certain loads, their effectiveness can be compromised in situations where they are asked to cover longer distances without adequate support structures beneath them. This characteristic is critical for contractors and builders to understand when planning designs and ensuring structural integrity.

In general, effective design and material choices for trusses ensure that they can handle specific spans, but exceeding those limitations without support can lead to structural failures.