KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI

INSTITUTE OF DISTANT LEARNING

Second Year

CE 255 : THEORY OF STRUCTURES

Assignment 1

Q.1 A prismatic beam (AC) of length 6m is simply supported over a span (AB) L1
= 4m and has an overhang (BC) of length L2 = 2m. The beam is loaded as
shown below (Fig. Q1). Use the moment-area method to calculate:

a). the vertical deflection, Δ, at the free end C

b). the rotation, β, at the support B

10kN/m
A B C

4.0 2.0

Fig. Q1

c). compute the product β * L2 and explain what physical quantity is

expressed by this product.

Q.2 A simply supported beam with piecewise constant flexural rigidity is

loaded as shown below. Using the conjugate beam method, calculate the
deflections and rotations at all the nodes.

30kN 50kN

1 I 2 3I 3 2I 4

2m 4m 3m

J.W. Ampofo