9. Conclusion

This presentation of the role and operation of the main components of a single-storey building, i.e. the common porticos, gable structures (edge porticos or "pans de fer"), wind beams, sand-beam purlins, stability bearings and column feet, complements an earlier article on secondary components. For each of these elements, several solutions have been proposed, highlighting their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Although limited to single-span industrial buildings, this article can easily be extrapolated to more complex situations, since most of the difficulties faced by the engineer are often no more than a juxtaposition of the principles set out here.