Simple Trusses

The basic truss element ABC of Fig. 4.10(a) can be enlarged by attaching
two new members, BD and CD, to two of the existing joints B and C and by
connecting them to form a new joint D, as shown in Fig. 4.10(b). As long as
the new joint D does not lie on the straight line passing through the existing
joints B and C, the new enlarged truss will be internally stable. The truss can be
further enlarged by repeating the same procedure (as shown in Fig. 4.10(c)) as
many times as desired. Trusses constructed by this procedure are called simple
trusses. The reader should examine the trusses depicted in Figs. 4.4 and 4.5 to
verify that each of them, with the exception of the Baltimore truss (Fig. 4.4)
and the Fink truss (Fig. 4.5), is a simple truss. The basic truss element of the
simple trusses is identified as ABC in these figures.
FIG. 4.9
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Trusses
A simple truss is formed by enlarging the basic truss element, which
contains three members and three joints, by adding two additional members
for each additional joint, so the total number of members m in a simple truss
is given by
m 5 1 3 2( 3 j j 2 5 ) 2 23 (4.1)
in which j 5 total number of joints (including those attached to the supports).
Compound Trusses
Compound trusses are constructed by connecting two or more simple trusses
to form a single rigid body. To prevent any relative movement between the
simple trusses, each truss must be connected to the other(s) by means of
connections capable of transmitting at least three force components, all of which
are neither parallel nor concurrent. Two examples of connection arrangements
used to form compound trusses are shown in Fig. 4.11. In Fig. 4.11(a), two
simple trusses ABC and DEF are connected by three members, BD, CD, and
BF, which are nonparallel and nonconcurrent. Another type of connection
FIG. 4.10 Simple Truss
FIG. 4.11 Compound Trusses
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or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203Section 4.2 Arrangement of
Members of Plane Trusses—Internal Stability 105
arrangement is shown in Fig. 4.11(b). This involves connecting the two simple
trusses ABC and DEF by a common joint C and a member BD. In order
for the compound truss to be internally stable, the common joint C and joints
B and D must not lie on a straight line. The relationship between the total
number of members m and the total number of joints j for an internally stable
compound truss remains the same as for the simple trusses. This relationship,
which is given by Eq. (4.1), can be easily verified for the compound trusses
shown in Fig. 4.11.
Internal Stability
Equation (4.1) expresses the requirement of the minimum number of members
that a plane truss of j joints must contain if it is to be internally stable. If a
plane truss contains m members and j joints, then if
2 3 the truss is internally unstable
2 3 the truss is internally stable
m j
m j
, 2
$ 2
(4.2)
It is very important to realize that although the foregoing criterion for
internal stability is necessary, it is not sufficient to ensure internal stability.
A
truss must not only contain enough members to satisfy the m j $ 2 2 3 condition,
but the members must also be properly arranged to ensure rigidity of the
entire truss. Recall from our discussion of simple and compound trusses that
in a stable truss, each joint is connected to the rest of the structure by at least
two nonparallel members, and each portion of the truss must be connected to
the remainder of the truss by connections capable of transmitting at least three
nonparallel and nonconcurrent force components.
Classify each of the plane trusses shown in Fig. 4.12 as internally stable or
unstable.
Solution
(a) The truss shown in Fig. 4.12(a) contains 20 members and 12 joints. Therefore, m
5 20 and 2 3 j 2 5 2 5 2(12) 3 21.
Since m is less than 2 3 j 2 , this truss does not have a sufficient number of
members to form a rigid body; therefore, it is internally unstable. A careful look
at the truss shows that it contains two rigid bodies, ABCD and EFGH , connected by
two parallel
members, BE and DG. These two horizontal members cannot prevent the relative
displacement in the vertical direction of one
rigid part of the truss with respect to the other. Ans.
(b) The truss shown in Fig. 4.12(b) is the same as that of Fig. 4.12(a), except
that a diagonal member DE has now been
added to prevent the relative displacement between the two portions ABCD and EFGH .
The entire truss now acts as a single
rigid body. Addition of member DE increases the number of members to 21 (while the
number of joints remains the same at12),
thereby satisfying the equation m j 5 2 2 3. The truss is now internally stable.
Ans.
(c) Four more diagonals are added to the truss of Fig. 4.12(b) to obtain the truss
shown in Fig. 4.12(c), thereby increasing m
to 25, while j remains constant at12. Because m j . 2 2 3, the truss is internally
stable. Also, since the difference m j 2 2 (2 3) 5 4,
the truss contains four more members than required for internal stability. Ans.
Example 4.1
continued
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Trusses
(d) The truss shown in Fig. 4.12(d) is obtained from that of Fig. 4.12(c) by
removing two diagonals, BG and DE, from
panel BE, thereby decreasing m to 23; j remains constant at 12. Although m j 2 2 (2
3) 5 2—that is, the truss contains two more
members than the minimum required for internal stability—its two rigid portions,
ABCD and EFGH , are not connected properly
to form a single rigid body. Therefore, the truss is internally unstable. Ans.
(e) The roof truss shown in Fig. 4.12(e) is internally unstable because m 5 26 and
j 515, thereby yielding m j , 2 2 3.
This is also clear from the diagram of the truss, which shows that the portions ABE
and CDE of the truss can rotate with
respect to each other. The difference m j 2 2 (2 3) 521 indicates that this truss
has one less member than required for internal
stability. Ans.
(f) In Fig. 4.12(f), a member BC has been added to the truss of Fig. 4.12(e), which
prevents the relative movement of the two
portions ABE and CDE, thereby making the truss internally stable. As m has now been
increased to 27, it satisfies the equation
m j 5 2 2 3 for j 515. Ans.
(g) The tower truss shown in Fig. 4.12(g) has 16 members and 10 joints. Because m j
, 2 2 3, the truss is internally unstable. This is also obvious from Fig. 4.12(g),
which shows that member BC can rotate with respect to the rest of the structure.
FIG. 4.12
continued
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or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203Section 4.4 Static Determinacy,
Indeterminacy, and Instability of Plane Trusses 107
4.3 Equations of Condition for Plane Trusses
In Section 3.4, we indicated that the types of connections used to connect
rigid portions of internally unstable structures provide equations of condition
that, along with the three equilibrium equations, can be used to determine the
reactions needed to constrain such structures fully.
Three types of connection arrangements commonly used to connect two
rigid trusses to form a single (internally unstable) truss are shown in Fig. 4.13.
In Fig. 4.13(a), two rigid trusses, AB and BC, are connected together by an
internal hinge at B. Because an internal hinge cannot transmit moment, it
provides an equation of condition:
∑ ∑ M M BAB 5 5 0 or 0 BBC
Another type of connection arrangement is shown in Fig. 4.13(b). This
involves connecting two rigid trusses, AB and CD, by two parallel members. Since
these parallel (horizontal) bars cannot transmit force in the direction
perpendicular to them, this type of connection provides an equation of
condition:
∑ ∑ F F yAB 5 5 0 or 0 yCD
A third type of connection arrangement involves connecting two rigid trusses,
AB and CD, by a single link, BC, as shown in Fig. 4.13(c). Since a link can
neither transmit moment nor force in the direction perpendicular to it, it provides
two equations of condition:
∑ ∑ F F xAB 5 5 0 or 0 xCD
and
∑ ∑ M M BAB 5 5 0 or 0 CCD
As we indicated in the previous chapter, these equations of condition
can be used with the three equilibrium equations to determine the unknown
reactions of externally statically determinate plane trusses. The reader should
verify that all three trusses shown in Fig. 4.13 are statically determinate
externally.
4.4 Static Determinacy, Indeterminacy, and Instability of Plane Trusses
We consider a truss to be statically determinate if the forces in all its members,
as well as all the external reactions, can be determined by using
the equations of equilibrium. This characterization of static determinacy,
This rotation can occur because joint C is connected by only one member instead of
the two required to completely constrain a
joint of a plane truss. Ans.
(h) In Fig. 4.12(h), a member AC has been added to the truss of Fig. 4.12(g), which
makes it internally stable. Here m 517
and j 510, so the equation m j 5 2 2 3 is satisfied. Ans.
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Trusses
encompassing both the external support reactions and the internal member
forces, is also referred to as the combined static determinacy, as compared
to the concept of external static determinacy (involving only external reactions)
used previously in Chapter 3. Recall that, in the previous chapter, we
were interested in computing external support reactions only, whereas in the
present chapter, our objective is to determine both the member forces and
the external reactions.
Since the two methods of analysis presented in the following sections can
be used to analyze only statically determinate trusses, it is important for the
student to be able to recognize statically determinate trusses before proceeding
with the analysis.
Consider a plane truss subjected to external loads P1, P2, and P3, as shown
in Fig. 4.14(a). The free-body diagrams of the five members and the four
joints are shown in Fig. 4.14(b). Each member is subjected to two axial forces
at its ends, which are collinear (with the member centroidal axis) and equal
in magnitude but opposite in sense. Note that in Fig. 4.14(b), all members
are assumed to be in tension; that is, the forces are pulling on the members.