An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized beams, arranged in an angle of 45 degrees or less, attached at the top, like an uppercase letter 'A'. These materials are often wooden or steel beams attached at the top by rope, welding, gluing, or riveting.

An A-frame used as shears on top of an M32 armored recovery vehicle
A sawhorse can be formed by connecting two A-frames along the length of a beam
A-frame utility pole in Germany

A-frames can be used as-is, as part of shears, or set up in a row along a longitudinal beam for added stability, as in a saw horse. More complex structures will often have crossmembers connecting the A-frames at different angles,[1] forming a truss.

Other structures that use A-frames

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References

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  1. ^ "A-frame" (2009). Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0). Oxford University Press.
  2. ^ McGeough, Joseph A.; Hartenberg, Richard S. (2019). "Hand tool | Measuring and defining tools | Plumb line, level, and square". Encyclopædia Britannica.
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  •   Media related to A-frame at Wikimedia Commons