DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL

AND GEOMATICS ENGINEERING

Y2-CEGE-SEM-II

CSE 2261-STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS-II

 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD
The method (flexibility) essentially involves removing enough
restraints from the indeterminate structure to render it
statically determinate. This determinate structure, which must
be statically stable, is referred to as the primary or released
or base structure.
The removed (temporarily) restraints are called redundants
restraints and the corresponding reactions or internal forces
are called redundants which will be applied as unknown loads
on the primary structure.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD
The values of the redundants are determined by
solving the compatibility equations based on the
condition that the deformations of the primary
structure due to the combined effect of the redundants
and the given external loading must be the same as
the deformations of the original indeterminate
structure.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
Consider the following propped cantilever

The beam has one more reaction or redundant.

 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
If we can determine one of the four reactions by using a
compatibility equation based on the geometry of the
deformation of the beam, then the remaining three reactions
can be obtained from the three equations of equilibrium.

If the roller support C is removed from the beam, it will become

determinate while still remaining statically stable, because the
fixed support A alone can prevent it from translating and/or
rotating as a rigid body.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
Thus, the roller support C is not necessary for the static
stability of the beam, and its reaction Cy can be
designated as the redundant. Note however, that the
presence of support C imposes the compatibility
condition on the deflected shape of the beam that the
deflection at C must be zero.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
The redundant Cy can be determined by using the
reasoning that if the value of the unknown load Cy
acting on the primary beam is to be the same as that of
the reaction Cy exerted on the indeterminate beam by the
roller support, then the deflection at the free end C of the
primary beam due to the combined effect of the external
load P and the redundant Cy must be the same as the
deflection of the indeterminate beam at support C.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
The total deflection at end C of the primary beam
due to the combined effect of P and Cy can be
conveniently expressed by superimposing (algebraically
adding) the deflections due to the external load P and
the redundant Cy acting individually on the beam.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.

Since the redundant Cy is unknown, it is convenient to

determine by first evaluating the deflection at C due to
a unit value of the redundant Cy, and then multiplying the
deflection thus obtained by the unknown magnitude of the
redundant.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.

denotes the deflection at point C of the primary

beam due to the unit value of the redundant Cy.

The compatibility equation then becomes

And
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
Since the primary beam is statically determinate, the
deflections and can be computed by either
using the methods previously (virtual work) described or
by using the beam-deflection formulas.
With the reaction Cy known, the three remaining reactions
can now be determined by applying the three equilibrium
equations to the free body of the indeterminate beam.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
Moment as redundant
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
Moment as redundant
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single
degree of indeterminacy.
Moment as redundant
The redundant MA is now treated as an unknown
load on the primary beam, and its magnitude can
be determined from the compatibility condition
that the slope at A due to the combined effect of
the external load P and the redundant MA must be
zero.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with single degree of
indeterminacy.
Moment as redundant
Because the algebraic sum of the slopes at end A due to
the external load P and the redundant MA must be zero,
we can express the compatibility equation as:
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
Consider the following continuous beam

The degree of indeterminacy is equal to 6-3=3

 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
To analyze the beam, we must select three support
reactions as redundants. Suppose that we select the
vertical reactions By; Cy, and Dy at the interior supports
B;C, and D, respectively, to be the redundants.
The roller supports at B, C, and D are then removed from
the given indeterminate beam to obtain the statically
determinate and stable primary beam.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of indeterminacy.

The three redundants are now treated as unknown loads

on the primary beam, and their magnitudes can be
determined from the compatibility conditions that the
deflections of the primary beam at the locations B;C,
and D of the redundants due to the combined effect of
the known external load w and the unknown redundants
By;Cy, and Dy must be equal to zero. This is because the
deflections of the given indeterminate beam at the roller
supports B;C, and D are zero.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
To establish the compatibility equations, we subject the
primary beam separately to the external load w and a
unit value of each of the redundants By; Cy, and Dy
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
To establish the compatibility equations, we subject the
primary beam separately to the external load w and a
unit value of each of the redundants By; Cy, and Dy
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
To establish the compatibility equations, we subject the
primary beam separately to the external load w and a
unit value of each of the redundants By; Cy, and Dy
 II. 1.Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
Focusing our attention at point B of the primary beam,
we see that the deflection at this point due to the
external load is and the deflection due to By is

Due to Cy is

Due to Dy is
The total deflection at B due to the combined effect of
the external load and all of the redundants is
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
Since the deflection of the actual indeterminate beam at
support B is zero, we set the algebraic sum of the
deflections of the primary beam at B equal to zero to
obtain the compatibility equation:

For all redundants,

we have
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
From Maxwell’s law of reciprocal deflections:

Maxwell’s law of reciprocal deflections states that for a

linearly elastic structure, the deflection at a point i due to
a unit load applied at a point j is equal to the deflection
at j due to a unit load at i.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
Note
 The compatibility equations of structures with multiple
degrees of indeterminacy are, in general, coupled, in
the sense that each equation may contain more than one
unknown redundant.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
From Maxwell’s law of reciprocal deflections:

Note
 The coupling occurs because the deflection at the location of
a redundant may be caused not just by that particular
redundant (and the external load), but also by some, or all,
of the remaining redundants. Because of such coupling, the
compatibility equations must be solved simultaneously to
determine the unknown redundants.
 I. Statically indeterminate structures
1.2. FORCE METHOD: Structures with multi-degree of
indeterminacy.
Note
 When analyzing a structure by the method of consistent
deformations, we can choose any support reaction or
internal force (or moment) as the redundant, provided
that the removal of the corresponding restraint from the
given indeterminate structure results in a primary
structure that is statically determinate and stable.