Structural Analysis– SA48

Truss Analysis using the Displacement Method: Example

Reference: https://youtu.be/iqdxu8gEZ4c

Analyze the following indeterminate truss using the displacement method.

Solution
Write the stiffness matrix for a typical truss member defined in the global coordinate system.

 c2 cs -c 2 -cs 
 
 cs s 2 -cs 2
-s 
K = EA 
member L  -c 2 -cs c 2 cs 

 -cs -s 2 cs s 2 


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Apply the above equation to the individual truss members.

Members AB, BC, DE and EF have the same length and orientation ( L = 8, c = 1, s = 0),
therefore we get:

 196350 0 -196350 0 
 
 0 0 0 0
AB BC DE EF
K =K =K =K =  
 -196350 0 196350 0 
 
 0 0 0 0 


For members AD, BE and CF all having L = 8, c = 0, s = 1, hence:

0 0 0 0 
 
0 196350 0 -196350 
K AD =K BE =K CF =  
0 0 0 0 
 
0 -196350 0 196350 


For members BD and CE (L = 11.31, c = -0.7071, s = 0.7071), we get:

 69418.7 -69418.7 -69418.7 69418.7 

 
 -69418.7 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7 
K BD =K CE =  
 -69418.7 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7 
 
 69418.7 -69418.7 -69418.7 69418.7 


For member AE where L = 11.31, c = 0.7071, and s = 0.7071, we get:

 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7 -69418.7 

 
 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7 -69418.7 
AE
K = 
 -69418.7 -69418.7 69418.7 69418.7 
 
 -69418.7 -69418.7 69418.7 
69418.7 


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Knowing the member stiffness matrices, assemble the system stiffness matrix. This is a 9x9 matrix since
the structure has nine (9) degrees of freedom, as shown below.

Note the first degree of freedom. It is a part of members AB, BD, BE and BC. Therefore, each of
the memebrs contribute to the system stiffness in direction 1.

If we denote the system stiffness matrix as K , then we can express K11 in terms of the stiffness of
each of the four members in direction (1,1). More specifically,

K11 =K AB +K BD
11
+K BE +K BC
11 11
33

Or,

= =
K11 196350 + 69418.7 + 0 +196350 462118.7
For K12 we can write:

K12 =K AB +K BD +K BE +K BC
34 12 12 12

Or,

= =
K12 0-69418.7 + 0 + 0 -69418.7
Noting that the degrees of freedom 1 and 3 overlap with the degrees of freedom of member BC
only, K13 can be written as:

K13 =K BC
13

Or,

K13 = -196350

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The remaining elements of the system stiffness matrix can be determined in a similar manner.
They are:

K14= K BD= -69418.7

13

K15= K BD= 69418.7

14

K=
16
K BE= 0
13

K17 = K BE = 0
14

K18= K19= 0

= =
K 22 K AB +K BD +K BE +K BC
44 22 22 22
265768.7

K 23= K BC= 0
23

K 24= K BD= 69418.7

23

K 25= K BD= -69418.7

24

K 26= K BE
= 0
23

K 27= K BE= -196350

24

K 28= K 29= 0

= =
K 33 K CF
11
+K CE +K BC
11 33
265768.7

K 34= K 35= 0

K 36= K CE
= -69418.7
13

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 K 37= K CE= 69418.7
14

= K CF= 0
K 38
13

= K CF= 0
K 39
14

= =
K 44 K AD +K BD +K DE
33 33 11
265768.7

= =
K 45 K AD +K BD +K DE
34 34 12
-69418.7

K 46= KDE
= -196350
13

K 47= KDE
= 0
14

K 48= K 49= 0

= =
K55 K AD +K BD +K DE
44 44 22
265768.7

K56= KDE
= 0
23

K57= KDE= 0
24

K58= K59= 0

=K 66 K AE=
33
+K BE +K CE +K DE +K EF
33 33 33 11
531537.4

=K 67 K AE=
+K BE +K CE +K DE +K EF 0
34 34 34 34 12

K=
68
K EF= -196350
13

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 K=
69
= 0
K EF
14

=K 77 K AE=
+K BE +K CE +K DE +K EF
44 44 44 44 22
335187.4

= K EF= 0
K 78
23

K= = 0
EF
79 K 24

=K 88 K EF=
33
+K CF
33
196350

=K 89 K EF=
34
+K CF 0
34

= =
K 99 K EF +K CF
44 44
196350

The computed elements can be written in matrix form as shown below.

 462118.7 -69418.7 -196350 -69418.7 69418.7 0 0 0 0 

 265768.7 0 69418.7 -69418.7 0 -196350 0 0 
 
 265768.7 0 0 -69418.7 69418.7 0 0 
 
 265768.7 -69418.7 -196350 0 0 0 
K= 265768.7 0 0 0 0 
 
 531187.4 0 -196350 0 
 335187.4 0 0 
 
 196350 0 

 196350 

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Since the system stiffness matrix is always symmetrical, the complete K is:

 462118.7 -69418.7 -196350 -69418.7 69418.7 0 0 0 0 

-69418.7 265768.7 0 69418.7 -69418.7 0 -196350 0 0 
 
-196350 0 265768.7 0 0 -69418.7 69418.7 0 0 
 
-69418.7 69418.7 0 265768.7 -69418.7 -196350 0 0 0 
K =  69418.7 -69418.7 0 -69418.7 265768.7 0 0 0 0 
 
0 0 -69418.7 -196350 0 531187.4 0 -196350 0 
0 -196350 69418.7 0 0 0 335187.4 0 0 
 
0 0 0 0 0 -196350 0 196350 0 
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 196350 


Now, we need to write the system force vector. There is only one applied force (placed at joint F,
in direction 8). Therefore, the system force vector can be written as:

0 
0 
 
0 
 
0 
 
F = 0 
0 
 
0 
 
100 
0 

We need to solve the system of equation: F =KD where D is the unknown global displacement
vector, F is the system force vector, and K is the system stiffness matrix.

Solving this linear system of equations yields the following displacement vector:

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  0.000302864 
 
 -0.000395161 
 
 0.000557512 
 
 0.000882618 
 
D=  0.0000482159 

 
 0.000930834 
 
 -0.000346945 
 
 0.00144013 
 
 0 

The joint displacements are given in meters.

We can use the above displacement vector to write the individual member displacement vectors.
For member AB, the displacements at the left joint of the member are zero. At the right joint the
displacement in the x-direction is 0.000302864 (i.e., D1 ) and the displacement in the y-direction

is -0.000395161 (i.e., D 2 ). Therefore, we can write the displacement vector for AB as:

 0 
 
AB
 0 
D = 
 0.000302864 
 
 -0.000395161 

The displacement vector for the remaining members can be determined in a similar manner.
They are:

 0.000302864 
 
 -0.000395161 
D BC =  
 0.000557512 
 
 0 

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  0.000557512 
 
 0 
D CE =  
 0.000930834 
 
 -0.000346945 

 0.000302864 
 
 -0.000395161 
D BD =  
 0.000882618 
 
 0.0000482159 

 0 
 
 0 
D AE =  
 0.000930834 
 
 -0.000346945 

 0.000302864 
 
 -0.000395161 
D BE =  
 0.000930834 
 
 -0.000346945 

 0 
 
 0 
D AD =  
 0.000882618 
 
 0.0000482159 

 0.000557512 
 
 0 
D CF =  
 0.00144013 
 
 0 

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  0.000882618 
 
 0.0000482159 
DDE =  
 0.000930834 
 
 -0.000346945 

 0.000930834 
 
 -0.000346945 
D EF =  
 0.00144013 
 
 0 

For each truss member, we can determine the member forces (defined in the global coordinate
system) by multiplying the member stiffness matrix by the member displacement vector. So,

F AB =K AB D AB
In expanded form, the above equation becomes:

 196350 0 -196350 0  0 
  
 0 0 0 0   0 
F AB =   
 -196350 0 196350 0   0.000302864 
  
 0 0 0 0   -0.000395161 

Or,

 -59.4672 
 
 0 
F AB =  
 59.4672 
 
 0 

Now draw the member and show these forces acting on it.

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Therefore, member AB carries a tension force of 59.4 N.
For BC, we get:

F BC =K BC D BC
Or,

 196350 0 -196350 0   0.000302864   -50 

    
 0 0 0 0   -0.000395161   0 
F BC =   = 
 -196350 0 196350 0   0.000557512   50 
    
 0 0  
 0 0 0   0 
Therefore, we have:

Therefore, member BC carries a tension force of 50 N.

For BD, we can write:

 69418.7 -69418.7 -69418.7 69418.7   0.000302864   -9.467 

    
 -69418.7 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7   -0.000395161   9.467 
F BD =   = 
 -69418.7 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7   0.000882618   9.467 
 69418.7
 -69418.7 -69418.7 69418.7   0.0000482159   -9.467 
Then,

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Therefore, member BD carries a compression force of 13.4 N.
For CE, we can write:

 69418.7 -69418.7 -69418.7 69418.7   0.000557512   -50 

    
 -69418.7 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7   0   50 
F CE =   = 
 -69418.7 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7   0.000930834   50 
 69418.7
 -69418.7 -69418.7 69418.7   -0.000346945   -50 

Then,

Member BD carries a compression force of 70.7 N.

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For DE, we can write:

 196350 0 -196350 0   0.000882618   -9.467 

    
0 0 0 0   0.0000482159   0 
F = 
DE
 = 
 -196350 0 196350 0   0.000930834   9.467 
 0
 0 0 0   -0.000346945   0 
Then,

Therefore, member DE carries a tension force of 9.5 N.

For EF, we get:

 196350 0 -196350 0   0.000930834   -100 

    
0 0 0 0   -0.000346945   0 
F = 
EF
 = 
 -196350 0 196350 0   0.00144013   100 
 0
 0 0 0   0   
  0 
Then,

Therefore, member EF carries a tension force of 100 N.

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For AD, we get:

0 0 0 0  0   0 
    
0 196350 0 -196350   0   -9.467 
=
AD
F =  
0 0 0 0   0.000882618   0 
0
 -196350 0 196350   0.0000482159   9.467 
Then,

Member EF carries a tension force of 9.5 N.

For BE, we get:

0 0 0 0   0.000302864   0 
    
0 196350 0 -196350   -0.000395161   -9.467 
F BE =   = 
0 0 0 0   0.000930834   0 
0
 -196350 0 196350   -0.000346945   9.467 
Then,

Member BE carries a tension force of 9.5 N.

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For CF, we get:

0 0 0 0   0.000557512   0 
    
0 196350 0 -196350   0  0 
= 
CF
F = 
0 0 0 0   0.00144013   0 
0
 -196350 0 196350   0   
 0 

Therefore, CF is a zero-force member.

Finally, for AE, we can write:

 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7 -69418.7   0   -40.533 

    
 69418.7 69418.7 -69418.7 -69418.7   0   -40.533 
F AE =   = 
 -69418.7 -69418.7 69418.7 69418.7   0.000930834   40.533 
 -69418.7
 -69418.7 69418.7 69418.7   -0.000346945   40.533 
Then,

Member AE carries a tension force of 57.3 N.

Summary:

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