DEFINITION OF TERMS

Axial Force - is defined as the algebraic sum of the axial forces acting on either side of the section.
It is also known as normal force.

Area Moment - is the area of the shape (A) multiplied by the distance to the centroid (x).

Arches - a curved member that is used to span an opening and to support loads from above.

Assumptions - are unexamined beliefs, also known as conclusions.

Beam - is a horizontal member spanning an opening and carrying a load that may be a brick or
stone wall above the opening, in which case the beam is often called a lintel.

Bending Moment - is a force normally measured in a force x length (e.g., kN.m). It is a force that
causes something to bend.

Bending Structures - Bending structures are a type of structure that can withstand loads by
bending.

Bridge Portals- is a sway frame extending between a pair of trusses whose purpose is to transfer
the reactions from the lateral-bracing truss to the end posts.

Building Bents - is a supporting structure of some sort that supports beams or girders.

Cable - are flexible structures that support the applied transverse loads by the tensile resistance
developed in its members.

Cantilever Beam - is a structural element that extends horizontally and is supported on only one
end.

Cantilever Method - is an approximate method used in structural engineering to calculate the

shear forces and moments developed in beams and columns of a frame or structure due to
lateral loads. The cantilever method is similar to the portal method, but instead of finding
the shears in the columns first using an assumption, it finds the axial force in the columns
using an assumption.

Carry Offer Factor - is the ratio of the induced moment to the applied moment.

Castigliano’s Second Theorem - is a theorem that relates the partial derivative of the total strain
energy with respect to the point load acting on the member to the deflection of the member
at the point of loading in the same direction of load.

Compression Structures - are structural elements that are pushed together or carry a load and are
subjected only to axial compressive forces.

Column - are vertical structural elements where the load is transferred parallel to the longitudinal
axis.

Conjugate Beam Method – is a method that is used to derive the slope and displacement of a
beam in which an imaginary beam with the same dimensions (length) as that of the original
beam but load at any point on the conjugate beam is equal to the bending moment at that
point divided by EI.

Coplanar Force - refers to the number of forces which stay in a similar plane.

Dead Loads – are the weight of the structural system itself and other material permanently
attached to it.
Deflection - is the degree to which a part of a long structural element is deformed laterally under
a load.

Determinate Structures - is a structure that can be analyzed using the principles of statics alone.
The unknown forces and moments in a determinate structure can be determined by
applying the equations of equilibrium and compatibility.

Degree of Determinacy - is a term used in structural analysis to describe whether a structure is

determinate or indeterminate.

Degree of Freedom (DOF) - refers to the number of independent ways in which a structure can
move. It is a measure of the number of variables required to describe the motion of a
structure.

Distribution Factor (DF) - is the ratio of the stiffness factor for that member and the total stiffness
of all the members meeting at a joint.

Double Intergration Method - also known as Macaulay's method, is a way of finding the
deflection and slope of a beam at any point by solving the differential equation of the elastic
curve. This method involves integrating the equation twice and using boundary conditions
to determine the constants of integration.

Environmental Loads – are loads caused by environmental effects, such as wind, snow, and
earthquakes.

Equations of Equilibrium - are used to determine the forces acting on a structure. These equations
are based on the principle of static equilibrium, which states that the sum of all forces and
moments acting on a structure must be zero for the structure to be in equilibrium

Frames - is a structural system composed of interconnected beams and columns that are capable
of resisting both vertical and lateral loads.

Fixed-End Moments - are the reaction moments developed in a beam member under certain load
conditions with both ends fixed.

Fixed Support – is a type of support in beams and structures that can resist horizontal, vertical
forces and moments. It is also known as rigid support.
Girder - is the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams.

Hinge or Pinned Support – is a type of support that can stop vertical and horizontal forces, but
they are not able to resist a moment.

Indeterminate Structures - are structures that have more unknown forces or moments than the
number of equilibrium equations.

Knee Brace - is an inclined diagonal lumber member connecting to and extending from the
sidewall columns, usually several feet below the truss to column connection, across and
attached to the face of the trusses.

Lateral Stiffness - refers to the ability of a body to resist lateral deflection when a lateral force is
applied.

Least Common Multiple (LCM) - is the smallest positive integer that is divisible by two or more
numbers.

Leeward - is the side that faces away from the wind.

Live Loads – are loads which are movable or moving loads due to the use of the structure.
Maxwell Diagram - is a combined diagram of loads and stresses. It is used to determine the stress
analysis of a truss. It is made by combining the force polygon acting at each joint into a
common polygon.

Modulus of Elasticity - It is defined as the ratio of stress to strain in a material when subjected to
an external force.

Moment Diagram - is a visualization of the probable stresses or loads a building will experience.
It shows where an element will experience the maximum bending moment, or where the
element would most likely break from bending

Moment Distribution Method - is a structural analysis method used to analyze statically

indeterminate beams and frames. The method is based on the relative stiffness of elements
and shifts bending moments from one section of the structure to another until they become
balanced.
Non-Coplanar - refers to objects that do not lie on the same surface or linear plane; is related to
three-dimensions.

Plane Framework - is defined as a structure composed of a number of bars, all lying in one plane
and hinged together at their ends in such a manner as to form a rigid configuration.

Planar Truss - one where all members and nodes lie within a two-dimensional plane.

Point of Contraflexure - is the point where the bending moment changes signs from positive to
negative (and vice versa).

Point of Inflection - is where a varying bending moment diagram passes zero, where the curvature
flips from convex to concave or vice versa.

Portal Bracing - is a structural engineering technique that involves adding a rotated column near
the main column to be used as a lateral bracing in the minor axis of the main column.

Portal Method – is a method used to estimate the shear force in each column of a multi-storey,
multi-bay frame subjected to lateral loading. This method finds the shears in the columns
first using an assumption.

Roller Support – is a type of support that only resists perpendicular forces. This type of support
cannot resist parallel forces or horizontal forces and moments.

Rotational Stiffness - is a measure of the resistance offered by an elastic body to deformation

caused by an applied moment.

Shear Diagram - is an analytical tool used in structural analysis to determine the value of shear
forces at a given structural element such as a beam.

Shear Forces - is a point force that acts perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the beam, and it
is caused by transverse loads acting on the beam.

Shear Structures - are structural elements that are subjected to lateral forces.

Side Sway - refers to any significant lateral or sideward movement of the top of a vertical member
relative to its bottom.

Slope Deflection Method – is a method that is used to determine the deflection, rotation, and
internal forces of statically indeterminate beams and frames. It relies on the use of the
slope-deflection equation, which expresses the moment at the end of the member.

Space Trusses - has members and nodes that extend into three dimensions.

Static Determinacy - is a property of a structure that allows all the forces in the structure to be
determined directly from equilibrium equations.
Structural Analysis - is the determination of the effects of loads on physical structures and their
components.

Structural Engineering - involves identifying the loads acting on a structure, analyzing the forces
and stresses arising from such loads, and determining the appropriate structural systems,
configurations and materials that will safely resist these loads.

Structural Support - is a part of a building or structure that provides the necessary stiffness and
strength in order to resist the internal forces and guide them safely to the ground.

Support Reactions - are the forces and moments which are applied to a rigid body by its supports.

Tension Structures – is a construction of elements carrying only tension and no compression or

bending.

Three-Moment Equation - is a method used in finding the reactions in a continuous beam. It

expresses the relation between bending moments at three successive supports of a
continuous beam, subject to a loading on a two adjacent span with or without settlement of
the supports.

Trusses - is a rigid structure made up of beams or other elements.

Virtual Work Method - is a classical method of analysis used in structural engineering to

determine the deflection and internal forces of statically indeterminate structures. It is also
known as the unit-load method or the method of virtual forces.

Windward Side - is the side of the building that faces the wind.