An A-frame is a basic

structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

s, arranged in an angle of 45 degrees or less, attached at the top, like an uppercase letter 'A'. These materials are often wooden or steel beams attached at the top by rope,

welding Welding is a fabrication (metal), fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, primarily by using high temperature to melting, melt the parts together and allow them to cool, causing Fusion welding, fusion. Co ...

gluing Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advantage ...

, or

rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylinder (geometry), cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed e ...

ing. A-frames can be used as-is, as part of

shears Shears may refer to: Cutting devices * Scissors, also called shears * Hair-cutting shears * Blade shears, typically used for shearing animals * Grass shears, for lawn trimming * Kitchen shears, scissors used in the kitchen for food preparation * ...

, or set up in a row along a longitudinal beam for added stability, as in a

saw horse In woodworking, a saw-horse or sawhorse (saw-buck, trestle, buck) is a Trestle support, trestle structure used to support a lumber, board or plank (wood), plank for sawing. A pair of sawhorses can support a plank, forming a scaffold. In certa ...

. More complex structures will often have

crossmember A crossmember, also known as a K-frame, is a structural component that is transverse to the main structure of a vehicle. In the automotive industry, this term typically refers to a steel component, often boxed, that is bolted across the underside ...

s connecting the A-frames at different angles,"A-frame" (2009). ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0). Oxford University Press. forming a

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as Beam (structure), beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so ...

Other structures that use A-frames

A-frame house An A-frame building is an architectural style of building that features steeply-angled sides (roofline) that usually begin at or near the foundation line, and meet at the top in the shape of the letter '' A''. An A-frame ceiling can be open t ...

* A-frame

hydroponics Hydroponics is a type of horticulture and a subset of #Passive sub-irrigation, hydroculture which involves growing plants, usually crops or medicinal plants, without soil, by using water-based mineral Plant nutrition, nutrient Solution (chemi ...

system * A-frame contour measuring

spirit level A spirit level, bubble level, or simply a level, is an Measuring instrument, instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is Horizontal plane, horizontal (level) or vertical direction, vertical (plumb-bob, plumb). Two basic designs exis ...

* A frame camping

tent A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using g ...

A-frame complex In organometallic chemistry, A-frame complexes are coordination compounds that contain two bridging ligand, bridging bidentate ligands and a single atom bridge. They have the formula , where ''bd'' is a bidentate ligand like 1,1-bis(diphenylphosp ...

, a motif in chemistry * Folding ladder *

Double wishbone suspension A double wishbone suspension is an independent suspension design for automobiles using two (occasionally parallel) wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone or arm has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckl ...

(cars) * Some

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

s * Some

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

s * A-frame level: An A-frame with a

plumb line A plumb bob, plumb bob level, or plummet, is a weight, usually with a pointed tip on the bottom, suspended from a string and used as a vertical direction as a reference line, or plumb-line. It is a precursor to the spirit level and used to est ...

hung from the vertex, used to establish a horizontal line; known in ancient Egypt, these were used in Europe until the mid–19th century. * At the stern of ships for fishing or research. These may be fixed or luffing. Similar arrangements are used for

launch and recovery system Launch or launched may refer to: Involving vehicles * Launch (boat), one of several different sorts of boat ** Motor launch (naval), a small military vessel used by the Royal Navy * Air launch, the practice of dropping an aircraft, rocket, o ...

s for

diving bell A diving bell is a rigid chamber used to transport divers from the surface to depth and back in open water, usually for the purpose of performing underwater work. The most common types are the open-bottomed wet bell and the closed bell, which c ...

ROUV A remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is a free-swimming submersible craft used to perform underwater observation, inspection and physical tasks such as valve operations, hydraulic functions and other ge ...

s and small

submersible A submersible is an underwater vehicle which needs to be transported and supported by a larger ship, watercraft or dock, platform. This distinguishes submersibles from submarines, which are self-supporting and capable of prolonged independent ope ...

s from other positions on a support ship. * The main building of Florida's

Disney's Contemporary Resort Disney's Contemporary Resort, originally to be named Tempo Bay Hotel and previously the Contemporary Resort Hotel, is a resort located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Opened on October 1, 1971, the hotel is one of two ori ...

, in which the

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

monorail has a station * Some

Wienerschnitzel Wienerschnitzel is an American fast food chain that specializes in hot dogs and other food products. The brand was founded in 1961 by former Taco Bell employee John Galardi and originally named Der Wienerschnitzel. Despite the name, the company ...

and

Whataburger Whataburger is an American regional fast food restaurant Chain store, chain, headquartered and based in San Antonio, Texas, that specializes in hamburgers. Founded by Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton, it opened its first restaurant in Corpus Chri ...

restaurants use the A-frame * The

London Eye The London Eye, originally the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and the most popular paid Tourist attractions in the ...

is supported by only one A-frame on one side. * Some

beam engine A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead Beam (structure), beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used b ...

s use an A-frame

References

External links

* {{Commons category inline Structural system