2101-310 Structural Analysis I 10 - 1

MATRIX FORMULATION FOR FLEXIBILITY METHOD

STATICALLY INDETERMINATE STRUCTURES
¾ Degree of static indeterminacy is the number of (independent) unknown
static quantities (e.g. internal member forces and support reactions) that
must be prescribed in addition to the use of equilibrium equations to
completely describe the static state of the structure. The static state of the
structure is known if and only if all support reactions and the internal
member forces at any locations within the structure can be determined.
Those (independent) unknown static quantities are termed as redundant
unknowns. The structure is said to be statically determinate if and only if
the degree of static indeterminacy is equal to zero; in the contrary, the
structure is said to be statically indeterminate if and only if the degree of
static indeterminacy is greater than zero. For a given structure, the degree
of static indeterminacy or the number of redundant unknowns (NR) is
obtained from
Ne Nn
NR = ∑ nfi + r − ∑ nei − Nh (65)
i =1 i =1

where Ne and Nn are the number of members and the number of nodes of
the given structure, respectively; nfi is the number of (independent)
unknown internal forces for the ith member (nfi = 1 for a truss member, nfi =
2 for a beam member, and nfi = 3 for a frame member); nni is the number of
(independent) equilibrium equations for the ith node (nni = 2 for truss and
beam structures and nni = 3 for a frame structure); r is the number of
components of support reactions; and Nh is the number of components of
internal releases (i.e. components of internal forces that are prescribed at
certain locations within the structure, e.g. moment release at plastic
hinges).
¾ Solution strategy by flexibility method. Let consider a statically
indeterminate structure with NR redundant unknowns. To analyze the
structure by the flexibility method, the given structure is first released to
remove NR redundant unknowns (internal forces and support reactions);
this is achieved by performing imaginary cuts at certain locations within the
structure and thereby results in a statically determinate structure. Note that
the process of release is nontrivial since a choice of redundants is not
unique but at the same time is not arbitrary. In fact they must be chosen
such that the final structure is statically stable; i.e. there is no development
of mechanisms or rigid body motion at any portion of the structure when
subjected to perturbations. The resulting statically stable, statically
determinate structure is called the primary structure. The primary
structure that is subjected to the same set of external applied loads (as the
original structure) and the released NR redundants is called the statically
admissible structure. All support reactions, internal member forces, and
displacements and/or rotations of the admissible structure can then be
determined in terms of those NR redundants. For the admissible structure
to become the original structure, the value of NR redundant unknowns must
be chosen such that the continuity or compatibility of displacements (and/or
rotations) at locations where redundants were released is maintained.
These continuity conditions provide NR equations to resolve all NR
redundant unknowns.
2101-310 Structural Analysis I 10 - 2

Example13: Determine the number of redundant unknowns (NR) of a truss

structure as shown below. If the structure is statically indeterminate, obtain
candidates of the statically admissible structure.

Po
Po

Solution The truss structure consists of 6 members and 4 nodes and contains
4 components of support reactions. The number of redundant unknowns of the
structure is obtained using Eqn. (65) as

NR = 6(1) + 4 – 4(2) = 2

The structure is therefore statically indeterminate degree of static

indeterminacy equal to two. To obtain the statically admissible structure, two
redundant unknowns must be released and applied back to the structure as
unknown external applied loads. Figures below show examples of both valid
and invalid statically admissible structures.

Po Po
Po Po

Pr2
Pr2

Pr1 Pr1

Valid statically admissible structure Valid statically admissible structure

2101-310 Structural Analysis I 10 - 3

Po Po
Po Pr2 Po

Pr2

Pr1
Pr1

Valid statically admissible structure Valid statically admissible structure

Po Po
Po Po

Pr2
Pr2

Pr1 Pr1

Invalid statically admissible structure Invalid statically admissible structure

Po Po
Po Po

Pr2
Pr1 Pr2 Pr1

Invalid statically admissible structure Invalid statically admissible structure

2101-310 Structural Analysis I 10 - 4

Example14: Determine the number of redundant unknowns (NR) of a beam

structure as shown below. If the structure is statically indeterminate, obtain
candidates of the statically admissible structure.

3Po Po

L L L

Solution The beam structure consists of 3 members and 4 nodes and

contains 3 components of support reactions. The number of redundant
unknowns of the structure is obtained using Eqn. (65) as

NR = 3(2) + 3 – 4(2) = 1

The structure is therefore statically indeterminate with degree of static

indeterminacy equal to one. To obtain the statically admissible structure, one
redundant must be released and applied back to the structure in terms of
unknown external applied load. Figures below show examples of both valid
and invalid statically admissible structures.

Pr1 3Po Po

Valid statically admissible structure

3Po Po

Pr1
Valid statically admissible structure

3Po Po

Pr1
Valid statically admissible structure
2101-310 Structural Analysis I 10 - 5

Pr1

3Po Po

L L L

Valid statically admissible structure

3Po Pr1 Po

L L L
Invalid statically admissible structure

Example15: Determine the number of redundant unknowns (NR) of a frame

structure as shown below. If the structure is statically indeterminate, obtain
candidates of the statically admissible structure.

Mo

Solution The frame structure consists of 2 members and 3 nodes and

contains 5 components of support reactions. The number of redundant
unknowns of the structure is obtained using Eqn. (65) as

NR = 3(2) + 5 – 3(3) = 2
2101-310 Structural Analysis I 10 - 6

The structure is therefore statically indeterminate with degree of static

indeterminacy equal to two. To obtain the statically admissible structure, two
redundants must be released and applied back to the structure in terms of
unknown external applied loads. Figures below show examples of both valid
and invalid statically admissible structures.

Mo Pr1 Mo Pr1
Pr2

Pr2

Valid statically admissible structure Valid statically admissible structure

Mo Mo

Pr1 Pr1

Pr2 Pr2

Valid statically admissible structure Valid statically admissible structure

Mo Pr1 Mo

Pr1

Pr2

Pr2

Invalid statically admissible structure Invalid statically admissible structure