James Warren

Who is James Warren?

James Warren was a British engineer who, around 1748 to 1807, patented the Warren-style truss bridge and girder design. This bridge design is mainly constructed by equilateral triangles which can carry both tension and compression. The first suspension bridge to utilize a Warren truss in its design was the Manhattan Bridge in New York City.

The Warren Truss design was also used in early aviation when biplanes were dominant, the alternating diagonal truss being used for the interplane struts in aircraft such as the Handley Page H.P.42 airliner and the Fiat CR.42 fighter. The Warren Truss is one of the most widely used and known bridge styles worldwide.