1/3 Point - Point on Triangular or Fink truss where the webs connect to the bottom chord.
Panel - Chord segment defined by two adjacent panel points.
Panel Point - A point at which one or more web members intersect the top or bottom chord.
Panel Length - The centerline distance measured horizontally between two panel points.
Parallel Chord Truss (PCT) - Truss with top and bottom chord slope less than 1.5/12.
Peak - The point on a truss where the sloping top chords meet.
Penny - Common nail length. Originally, nails were sold by "penny weight", or price per hundred.
Permanent Bracing - Bracing installed to provide support at right angles to the plane of the truss to hold it in its assumed design position. Permanent bracing stays in place for the life of the structure. The Building Designer may design the permanent bracing to resist lateral forces imposed on the completed building by wind load or seismic load.
Piggy Back Truss - Truss made in two pieces usually consisting of a hip type truss with a triangular cap fastened to it. Designed when shipping or manufacturing limitations are affected by overall truss height.
Pitch - The inches, or fraction thereof, of vertical rise in 12 inches of horizontal run for inclined members. Usually expressed as 4/12, 8/12, etc. (Incline of the roof described as inches of rise over inches of run. Example: 5/12 is 5" rise over 12" run).
Plenum - The cavity formed by the floor above and the ceiling below a floor truss as a supply or return air duct.
Plumb Cut - Top chord end cut to provide for vertical (plumb) installation of fascia.
Plumb Rise - Vertical overall measurements at the end of a truss where the top and the bottom chords meet.
Ply - One truss of a multiple-truss girder.
Press-On Plate - See Metal Connector Plate.
Pressure-Treated Wood - Wood treated by applying pressure to force the preservatives into it.
Profile Drawing - Sketches of truss profiles used by a mechanical engineer to determine where mechanical ducts, piping, etc. are located.
Purlin - Horizontal member placed between two main load carrying structural members. They can be used as spacers carrying decking or roofing materials and providing some lateral support for the main members.
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