A-frame
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- For the equipment used in dog competitions, see dog agility.
An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized materials laid up against one another, and attached at the top in a convenient fashion. These materials are often wooden or steel beams arranged in a 45-degree or greater angle. These materials are then lashed together with rope, or secured in another fashion such as welding, gluing, or riveting.
Due to having only two "legs", A-frames are usually set up in rows so that they can have good stability. A saw horse is a good example of this structure. More complex structures will have a crossmember connecting the two materials in the middle to prevent the legs from bowing outwards under load, giving the structure the appearance of the capital letter A.
Additional structures that use A-frames:
- A frame camping tent
- Folding ladder
- Double wishbone suspension (cars)
- Some suspension bridges
[edit] A-frame houses
An A-frame house is a simple structure usually built by putting two walls/roofs together at an angle to form a building akin to the letter "A" A.KA Eddies Frame's house. If large enough to have two stories, the second level floor is equivalent to the horizontal line in the letter 'A'. A-frames are popular as simple to build structures, and avoid the necessity of complicated roofs, roof joints, and draining/load mechanisms as anything falling on the roof will simply slide off the heavy angle. They are not space-efficient; elementary geometry implies that the upper floor will always be much smaller than the ground floor. A-frames are common in areas of extremely heavy snow.
