Stiffness is the force required to produce unit displacement or unit rotation or stiffness

factor is equal to the ratio of the product of the moment of inertia of the cross section and
the modulus of elasticity for the material to the length of the member…

Relative stiffness is basically a comparative terminology used to compare the stiffness of a

particular member with all the members meeting a particular joint.

It also gives an idea about the amount of moment the particular member takes when an
external moment is applied on the joint. More the relative stiffness more the moment the
member takes.

Relative stiffness is mainly dependent on the boundary conditions like fixed or hinged
supports.
Any structural member can be subjected to basically 3 types of loads and responds
accordingly. (Figs: Advanced Mechanics of Materials Fred B Seely James O Smith)

Axial Loads: Here the member is subjected to loads that act parallel to the axis and tends
to elongate along the axis. The resistance to this axial elongation is referred to as axial
stiffness and given by :

Transverse or Bending Loads: Here the member is subjected to loads that act

perpendicular to the axis and tends to deflect in a direction perpendicular to the axis. The
resistance to this transverse deflection is referred to as transverse or bending stiffness and
given by :
Torsional Loads: Here the member is subjected to torque or twisting force as shown in the
fig. below and tends to twist and this twist (Theta) is measured in radians. The resistance to
this torsional deflection or twisting is referred to as torsional stiffness and given by :

It is to be understood that Stiffness of a material alone does not play a part in limiting
deflections. The structural stiffness also depends upon the geometry ( Area, Moment of
Inertia and length depending upon the type of load)

If we need to limit the deflections we can play around with these parameters. We could
change the material or increase the cross sectional properties or reduce the length.

Among the three stiffnesses for a given geometry (ie. A,I, J and  l )  the transverse stiffness
will be lowest with the next higher quantity being the torsional stiffness and the highest is
the axial stiffness. So in vibrations of a beam transverse modes will be occurring first
followed by torsional modes and then axial modes.

Axial Stiffness:- Force required to compress the member by unit displacement or elongate

the member by unit displacement. It depends upon the Elastic Modulus, area of cross
Section and Length of the member.
Bending Stiffness:- Moment required to produce unit rotation . It depends upon the Elastic
Modulus, Moment of Inertia and Length of the member.