Lecture 9

Slope-Deflection Equations

This serves to introduction to displacement methods or

stiffness methods.

Courtesy of Prof. Yong Xia

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Structural Engineering
 1. An introduction example
M
C
B
B

L
EI = const.

A
L

Degree of indeterminacy = ?
Unknown displacement = ?
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 M MBC B
MBC MCB

MBA
MBA B C
B
B Slope-Deflection Equations
relates the forces (including shear forces
and bending moments) at the ends of a
member to the displacements (including
rotations and deflections) of its ends and
MAB A the external loads applied to the member.

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 =1

M1 = 4EI/L EI = const. M2 = 2EI/L

Q1 = 6EI/L2 Q2 = 6EI/L2
L

=1

M1 = 6EI/L2 M2 = 6EI/L2
Q1 = 12EI/L3 Q2 = 12EI/L3

=1

M1 = 3EI/L
Q1 = 3EI/L2
Q2 = 3EI/L2

=1

M1 = 3EI/L2
Q1 = 3EI/L3 Q2 = 3EI/L3
 4 EI 4 EI
M BA = B M BC = B
l l

M BA + M BC = M

4EI 4EI
+ B =M
l l

θB: Unknown displacement

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 4EI
l M BA = M BC = B = 0.5M
= M l
B
8EI 2EI
M AB = M CB = B = 0.25M
l

0.5M
C
B
0.25M

A
0.25M
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2. Slope-deflection equations - a general case

A
QBA
MAB
MBA
QAB B

4 EI 2 EI 6 EI
M AB = A + B +
l l l2
2 EI 4 EI 6 EI
M BA = A + B +
l l l2
6 EI 6 EI 12EI
QAB = QBA = 2 A + 2 B + 3
l l l
 EI
i= , = y A − yB
l
6i 6i
M AB = 4i A + 2i B + y A − yB
l l
6i 6i
M BA = 2i A + 4i B + y A − yB
l l

6i 6i 12i 12i
QAB = QBA = A + B + 2 y A − 2 yB
l l l l
 12i 6i 12i 6i
− 2
Q AB l2 l l l yA
6i 6i
M AB 4i − 2i
= l l A

QBA 12i 6i 12i 6i yB

− 2
M BA l2 l l l
B
6i 6i
2i − 4i
l l

{Force} = [Stiffness] {Displacement}

Rotation and moment: anti-clockwise is positive. More will

be described later (here sign of Q is not consistent with y)

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Structural Engineering