A Standards & program requirements

• Inspection standards are based on ANSI E1.2-2021 (Entertainment Technology — Design, Manufacture and Use of Aluminum Truss and Towers) and AWS D1.2 Structural Welding Code — Aluminum, plus engineering recommendations.
• Documented inspections shall be performed yearly per ANSI E1.2.
• For permanent installations and pre-use inspections, refer to E1.2 — specifically chapter 6 — for criteria.
• All inspections shall be performed by a competent person designated by management, who shall obtain technical drawings for reference.
• Outsourced parts are verified by the receiving dock team, which opens all packaging and checks products against the print.

B Bolt plates

• Bolted truss should butt together with no gaps.
• Check holes for elongation or wear.
• Check flatness — misuse of the truss can warp a bolt plate.
• An orange peel appearance is caused by overloading.
• Gouges ≥ 25% material thickness fail inspection.

C Forkends

• Check for any distortion, including clevis pin holes.
• Check for dents or gouges.
• Check roll pins and set screws for a secure fit.
• Confirm true horizontal or vertical positioning.

D Square, flatness & twisting

Square. On the top side of the truss, measure diagonally from center chord to center chord.

Flatness / bending. Place the truss on a flat, level surface with spacers under the chords at both ends so the truss is not sitting on a weld. From the middle of the truss, measure from the bottom of the chord to the spacer.

Twisting. If the truss rocks on the spacers, clamp one end down and measure chord-to-spacer at the opposite end.

E Tubes & members

• Check all tubes for bends, dents, gouges or flat spots. Max out of tolerance: 25% material thickness or 10% cross-sectional area.
• Any crack or split anywhere on the truss, regardless of size, removes the truss from service.
• Damage on the butt end of a chord: max allowable deviation 1" (25 mm) down the length of the chord.
• Check for holes other than those made by TTS during production.
• No missing members — diagonal, vertical or horizontal.

F Welded connections

• Check every weld for cracks to the best of your ability. Powder coat, dust, debris, scratches and gouges can interfere with inspection.
• Any gouge in the weld itself exceeding 1/32" (.79 mm) requires a repair.
• Welds worn down from rubbing or scraping require repair if no weld reinforcement remains.
• No weld repairs are allowed more than 1" (25 mm) outside of an existing weld.

G Identification & repairs

• All truss and assemblies receive a permanent sticker with item description, serial number and manufacture date.
• Damaged members are, at minimum, cleaned of powder coat or debris restricting inspection, then reevaluated. Outcome: weld fill, member replacement, or scrap.
• Permanent removal from service — damage on the 4 main chords: flat spots ≥ 1/2" (12 mm) wide, or gouges more than 1" (25 mm) from an existing weld that require repair.
• Repairs attempted by anyone other than Tyler Truss remove the truss from service.

H Critical notes & inspection gages

• After a collapse, tip-over, drop or similar event, inspection criteria is drastically limited — any noticeable damage could result in failure of the truss. An X-ray scan gives a more definitive answer on structural integrity; such inspections are outside TTS's scope of work.
• Keychain go/no-go gage: first determine material thickness with the square cut-outs, then place the matching point at the deepest part of the gouge. Gage sits flush = fail; gage rocks = still good to use.
• V-WAC gage: body flush against the chord, point in the deepest part of the gouge; reads in 1/64" increments (right side). Also measures weld build-up.
• Undercut gages: ideal for tight spaces like gouges on diagonals. Flush on the chord = fail. Correct gage depends on material thickness (25%).
• Transverse depth gage: saddle flush against the chord; reads in 1/32" increments (left side).