"Structural Engineering Forums" by thestructuralengineer.info

Hello all!
Have an interesting question for all you experts!
I'm trying to determine if a structure can support more weight if it has thicker vertical columns and less number of horizontal bracings OR would it support more weight if it had thinner vertical columns and more horizontal bracings?

In other words, see the diagram below...the first structure has thick columns but the number of horizonal bracing is only 3. The second structure has thinner columns but the number of horizontal bracing is 5. The material of the structure is paper and the total weight of the first structure should be the same as the total weight of the second structure.

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