Methods of Joining materials

• Building structures such as bridges and pylons using solid material would be needlessly expensive
• Most of this material would be in a neutral zone where it will not be subjected to any stress
• This means that it can be eliminated by using trusses without affecting the strength of the structure
• Since trusses and other pieces used in making structures do not conform to the shape/size of the structure
• It is necessary to join various pieces of trusses together
• Another reason for joining materials is to extend their length
• For example railway lines often extend for hundreds and even thousands of kilometers
• It would be impossible to create such a railway line without joining materials
• Regardless of why they exist
• Joins can and are often a source of weakness for structures
• This is especially important in structures such as ships, bridges, planes, cranes etc
• Where the joints are subjected to a lot of extremely high stresses
• As a result very strong and efficient joints are needed
• To prevent the structures from failing and creating costly and often fatal problems
• In items like furniture, doors, floors and stair cases
• Joints often come with certain advantages
• They allow for an even distribution of load
• They can also provide room for material to shrink and expand
• These structures also “give”
• For example a chair/sofa gives in when you sit on it
• This allows the structure to spread out load
• In some structures using rigid materials will increase their strength
• Rigid material are not easily deformed/bend out of shape when forces are applied to them
• There are various types of joints each with its own advantages and disadvantages

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