CHAPTER TEN MATRIX DISPLACEMENT METHOD OF TRUSS ANALYSIS 10.1 Degree of Freedom, Number of Independent Unknown Forces, and Degree of Indeterminacy The basic concept of thé displacement method of truss analysis has been briefly described in Sec. 1.4 by means of the four-bar, pin-connected structure shown in Fig. 10.1.1. It was stated then that Navier (1785-1836) held that this structure is “determinate” if the horizontal and vertical displacements of pin joint E are taken as the unknowns at the beginning. Since these two displacements are the primary unknowns to be determined in advance of all other information about the structure, they are denoted by X; horizontally to the right and X; vertically upward. Due to any kind of imposition on this structure, whether it be applied forces like W, and W; in Fig. 10.1.1a, or fabrication errors in the lengths of the bars, or support settlements, these two displacements are the freedoms in which the structure can exercise to show its “displeasure,” more technically called deformation response. Thus the degree of freedom of a truss (the pin-connected structure of Fig. 10.1.1 satisfies the definition of a truss) may be defined as the number of unknown displacements of the joints. As another example, the degree of freedom of the truss in Fig. 10.1.2 is 6. To fulfill the definition of a truss, the loads can be applied only at the joints. Then at the maximum, there can be both horizontal and vertical forces applied to every joint in a truss, although those applied in any direction at a hinged support or applied in a direction perpendicular to the rolling surface of a roller support, will not affect the forces in the bars or the deformed shape of the truss. Thus there can be a nonzero force in the direction of every degree358 INTERMEDIATE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS Ram A=-™% PX (b) NP=2; NF=4 @ Figure 10.1.1 A four-bar, pin-connected structure. (@) NP=6 (b) NF=8 Figure 10.1.2 A two-panel truss. of freedom, and the external force system can be expressed by a column matrix of which the number of rows is equal to the degree of freedom, hereafter denoted by the symbol NP for number of P values (in fact, NX could have been used for number of X values). Mathematically speaking, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the P’s and the X's, hence the notations P;-X; for i= 1 to NP in Figs. 10.1.1b and 10.1.2a. The force response of a truss is completely defined by the values of the reactions and the forces in the bars. However, once the forces in the bars are known, every reaction can be determined by the equation of statics along the direction of that reaction; thus the forces in the bars are the independent unknown forces, the number of which is denoted by the symbol NF. It can be shown that the degree of indeterminacy of a truss, denoted by the symbol NI, is equal to NF — NP, or NI =NF-NP (10.1.1) The total number of unknown forces for a truss is NF + NR, wherein NR is the number of reactions, but the total number of equations of statics is 2(NJ), wherein NJ is the number of joints. Thus, NI = NF + NR-2NJ) (10.1.2)MATRIX DISPLACEMENT METHOD OF TRUSS ANALYSIS 359 but physically, 2(NJ) = NP +NR (10.1.3) Substituting Eq. (10.1.3) into Eq. (10.1.2), NI = (NF + NR)—(NP + NR) = NF — NP which is Eq. (10.1.1). In fact Eq. (10.1.1) is the same as Eq. (1.1.2) except that lowercase symbols were used in Eq. (1.1.2). Symbols denoted by two-letter capitals are used in this chapter for convenience in computer programming. The unknown forces in the bars, having one-to-one correspondence with the elongations (the e’s) in themselves, are numbered consecutively as Fj-e; for i=1 to NF in Figs. 10.1.1b and 10.1.2b. 10.2 The Deformation Matrix [B] The deformation matrix [B] of a truss expresses the elongations in the bars in terms of the joint displacements; thus the size of the deformation matrix is NF x NP, and le}wrxi = [B]wexne{X }upxt (10.2.1) Here it is important to emphasize again the first-order assumption that the length of a bar is affected only by the longitudinal component of any joint displacement and not by the transverse component. Thus in Fig. 10.2.1a, if the BB’ (XX BB ao o fe @ @ © Figure 10.2.1 Bar elongation due to joint displacements.360 INTERMEDIATE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS joint displacements of A are X;, to the right and X, upward and those of B are X; to the right and X, upward, by applying the first-order assumption to Fig. 10.2.1b to e it may be seen that & = —X, cos a — X2 sin a + X;cos a + X,sina (10.2.2) For a typical truss like the one shown in Fig. 10.2.2, the (B] matrix as shown in Eq. (10.2.3) can best be established one column at a time by visual inspection, using the concept advanced in Fig. 10.2.1, ae x 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 +08 +0.6 0. 0. 0. 0. 2 -10 0. +10 0. 0. 0. 3 0. 0. 0. +10 0. 0. a 0. 0. 0. 0. +10 0. (B)exe = (10.2.3) Ss 0. 0. 0. 0. -10 +10 6 0. +10 0. 0. 0. 0. 7 08 +0.6 0. 0. 0. +08 8 0. 0. +08 +06 0.8 0. | 2 4 Is 3 6 =f (a) Dimensions (0) P-X numbers, NP=6 (©) Fe numbers, NF=8 Figure 10.2.2 P-X and F-e numbers for a typical truss,MATRIX DISPLACEMENT METHOD OF TRUSS ANALYSIS 361 10.3 The Element Stiffness Matrix [S] The element stiffness matrix [S] of a truss expresses the forces in the bars (or the elements) in terms of the elongations in them; thus this matrix is a square matrix NF x NF. By Hooke’s law, the force in any one bar is expressible by the elongation in itself as F,=Se, for j=1to NF (103.14) wherein s,-BA 103.16 ny ( ) L, and A, are the length and the area of the jth bar. The symbol S; (in a departure from using lowercase symbols for the elements within a matrix) is used to denote the stiffness of the bar, which is the force to cause a unit elongation, much like the spring constant of a spring. Thus the element stiffness matrix of a truss is a diagonal matrix so that {F}wext = (Slwexnele}nexs (10.3.2a) in which hx 1 2 NF 1 a“ i : em EA: 2 a (S]vexne = : (10.3.2b) | Bam we |e [oe foe | ee = 40.4 The Force-Displacement Matrix [SB] Substituting Eq. (10.2.1) into Eq. (10.3.2a), one obtains {F}wext = (S]yexne(e}wexs = [S]wrxvelB lwrxneX }wrxi = [SB] nrxne{X}wpxi (10.4.1) The matrix product [SB], of which the diagonal matrix [S] is the premultiplier and the matrix [B] is the postmultiplier, expresses the forces in the bars of a truss in terms of the joint displacements. The force-displacement matrix [SB] is an important matrix, not only as the needed intermediate matrix to obtain362 INTERMEDIATE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS the matrix [ASB] defined in Sec. 10.7 before the joint displacements are determined, but also as the matrix to be used again in the final stage of the analysis to obtain the forces in the bars after the joint displacements have been found. 10.5 The Statics Matrix [A] The statics matrix [A] of a truss expresses the external joint forces in terms of the forces in the bars; thus the size of the statics matrix is NP x NF, and {P }wrxi = [Al rxnr{F}wexs (10.5.1) For the truss shown in Fig. 10.2.2, the statics matrix [A] is — 7 Fl 1 Dy s) ge geet et Pp 1 | sos |-10 | o | o | o | 0 | -08 | 0 2 | 06 | o | o | o | o | +10} +06] 0 [Aloa=| 3 o-[+o [oa] oa] oe o | 0. | +08 a|o | o [+o] «0 | o | o | © | +06 i s | o | o | 0 [ +10] -10} o | © | -28 «| o | o | o | o | +10] 0 | +08] 0. (10.5.2) The contents of the [A] matrix can be determined either by rows or by columns. To establish by rows, one needs to sketch a diagram such as Fig. 10.5.1, which shows the free-body diagrams of all the joints. Note that the % A ahs! thon 5 AY, AYR A hak ae i Ay Ss 5, P, oa rows.MATRIX DISPLACEMENT METHOD OF TRUSS ANALYSIS 363 forces in the bars are assumed to be tensile if positive; hence they pull on the joints in Fig. 10.5.1. Applying 2 F, = 0 and & F, = 0 to the upper left joint, P, = +0.8F,— 1.0F;—0.8F; P, = +0.6F, + 1.0F5+ 0.6F; Applying = F, = 0 and & F, = 0 to the upper right joint, Py = +1.0F)+0.8F; P,=+1.0F)+0.6F; Applying = F, = 0 to the lower middle joint, Ps = +1.0F,—1.0F;—0.8Fs Applying = F, = 0 to the lower right joint, Po=+1.0Fs+0.8F; When the six preceding equations expressing P, to Ps in terms of F, to Fy are arranged as a rectangular matrix, the result is Eq. (10.5.2). To fill out the [A] matrix by columns, it is convenient to assess what external joint forces each bar force can resist. In Fig. 10.5.2a, let the tensile force in the bar be Fj and the external joint forces be P, to Ps. Then the P forces that F; can resist, from inspection of the free-body diagrams of the two joints, are P,=-Fcosa P,=-Fsina 10.5. P3=+F cosa ce) Py=+F sina Equations (10.5.3) can be visualized even more conveniently by making use of the free-body diagram of the bar itself as shown in Fig. 10.5.2b. The effective components of the two F, forces pulling on the bar, along the positive a \eo Ai ha (@) Equilibrium at the joints (b) Free-body diagram of bar itself Figure 10.5.2 Establishing (A] by columns.