CHAPTER 4

ANALYSIS OF SIMPLE STRUCTURES

4.1. Structure Defined
 A structure is a rigid body made up of several connected parts or members designed to withstand
some externally applied forces.

 The analysis of structures is based on the principle that if a structure is in equilibrium, then each
of its members is also in equilibrium.

 By applying the equations of equilibrium to the various parts of simple truss, frame or machine,
the forces acting on the connections can be determined.

4.2. TRUSSES
 Truss: framework composed of straight members joined at their ends to form a rigid structure.
Trusses are used to support roofs, bridges and other structures.

 Plane truss: When the members of the truss lie essentially in a single plane.

 Examples of commonly used trusses that can be analyzed as plane as plane trusses are; -

Commonly Used Bridge Trusses Commonly Used Roof Trusses

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 Simple Trusses
 The basic element of a plane truss is the triangle..

 Three bars joined by pins at their ends constitute a

rigid frame (non-collapsible).

 The term rigid is used in the sense of non-collapsible and also in the sense that deformation of the
members due to induced internal strains is negligible.
 On the other hand four or more bars pin-jointed to form a polygon of as many sides constitute a
non rigid frame.

Non-rigid

 We can make the non rigid frame stable or rigid by adding diagonal bars.

 The nonrigid body can be made rigid by adding a

diagonal bar joining B and C or A and D.
 We can extend the structure by adding additional units
of two end-connected bars such as DE and CE

 Structures that are built from a basic triangle in the manner described are known as simple
trusses.

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  When more members are present than are needed to prevent collapse, the truss is statically
indeterminate. A statically indeterminate truss cannot be analyzed by the equations of equilibrium
alone. Additional members or supports that are not necessary for maintaining the equilibrium
position are called redundant.
 Several assumptions are made in the force analysis of simple trusses. The assumptions are:
1. All members in a simple truss are assumed to be two-force members: A two force member
is one in equilibrium under the action of two forces only.
2. Each member of the truss is a straight link joining the two points of application of force.
3. The two forces are applied at the ends of the member and are necessarily equal, opposite
and collinear for equilibrium. The member may be in tension (T) or compression (C).
When we represent equilibrium of a portion of a two-force member, the tension T or
compression C acting on the cut section is the same for all sections.

4. The weight of truss members is assumed small compared with the force it supports. If the
small effect of the weight is to be accounted for, the weight W of the member may be
replaced by two forces, each W/2 if the member is uniform, with one force acting at each
end of the member. These forces, in effect, are treated as loads externally applied to the
pin connections. The bending effect of the member will not be considered.
5. It is assumed that all external forces are applied at pin connections.

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 Force analysis of plane trusses
 Two methods for the force analysis of simple trusses will be given.
1) Method of joints
2) Method of sections
 The external reactions are usually determined by computation from the equilibrium
equations applied to the truss as a whole before the force analysis of the remainder of
the truss is begun.

Method of joints
This method for finding the forces in the members of a simple truss consists of satisfying the conditions of
equilibrium for the forces acting on the connecting pin of each joint.

 The method deals with the equilibrium of concurrent forces and only two independent
equilibrium equations are involved. ( Σ Fx = 0 and Σ Fy = 0 for each joint)
 We begin the analysis with any joint where at least one known load exists and where not more
than two unknown forces are present. Taking free body diagram of a joint, tension will always
be indicated by an arrow away from the pin, and compression will always be indicated by an
arrow toward the pin.
 In some instances it is not possible to initially assign the correct direction of one or both of the
unknown forces acting on a given pin. In this event we may make an arbitrary assignment. A
negative value from the computation indicates that the assumed direction is incorrect.

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Example1: Draw the free body diagram of each joint

Example2: Determine the force in

each member of the truss shown.

Indicate whether the members are in tension

or compression.

Solution
Free body diagram:

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 Method of sections
 The advantage of method of joints is that it only takes two of the three equilibrium equations, since
the procedures involve concurrent forces at each joint.
 We may take advantage of the third or moment equation of equilibrium by selecting an entire
section of the truss for the free body in equilibrium under the action of a non-concurrent system of
forces.
 This method of sections has the basic advantage that the force in almost any desired member may
be found directly from an analysis of a section, which has cut that member. Thus it is not
necessary to proceed with the calculation from joint to joint until the member in question has been
reached.

 Steps
(i) Determine the external forces analytically
(ii) Draw a line which splits the free body diagram into two halves such that the line
crosses the members whose forces are required. The line should not cross more than
three members whose forces are unknown.
(iii) Choose one of the halves and draw the free body diagram. Use arbitrary directions
for the forces in the members. The solution will give the actual direction. Assume that
the unknown force members at the cut section are tensile forces i.e. “pulling on the
member. By doing this the numerical solution of the equilibrium equations yields
positive scalars for members in tension and negative scalars for members in
compression.
(iv) Assuming the external forces have been found, then since the sections chosen must be
in equilibrium, the three equations of equilibrium for a 2-dimension rigid body are
sufficient to determine the maximum three unknowns.

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 Example1:

Assume we need to find force in BE, then entire truss has to be sectioned across FE, BE, BC
as shown in figure; we have only 3 equilibrium equations.

 Now each section will apply opposite forces on each other

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 The LHS is in equilibrium with R 1, L, three forces exerted on the cut members (EF, BE,
BC) by the RHS which has been removed.

Example2: Determine the force in members GE, GC and BC of the truss shown in the Figure. Indicate
whether the members are in tension or compression.

Solution
 Section aa has been chosen since it cuts through the three members whose forces are
to be determined. In order to use the method of sections however, it is first necessary
to determine the external reactions at A or D. A free diagram of the entire truss is
shown below.

 Applying the equations of equilibrium, we have

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  For the analysis the left portion of the sectioned truss will be used, since it involves the least
number of forces:

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 Frames and Machines

 A structure is called a frame or machine if at least one of its individual members is a multiforce
member.
 A multiforce member is defined as one with three or more forces acting on it, or one with two or
more forces and one or more couples acting on it.
 Frames are structures which are stationary and are used to support applied loads.
 Machines are structures that contain moving parts and are designed to transmit and alter
the effect of forces rather than support them.
 Because frames and machines contain multiforce members, the forces in these members in general
will not be in the directions of the members.
 Method of joints and sections are not applicable
 Force representation and FBD:
 In most cases the analysis of frames and machines is facilitated by representing the forces
in terms of their rectangular components.
 It is not always possible to assign every force or its components in the proper sense when
drawing the free body diagrams and it becomes necessary for us to make an arbitrary
assignment.
 In any event it is absolutely necessary that a force be consistently represented on the
diagrams for interacting bodies, which involve the force in question. For example, for two
bodies connected by the pin in the figure below the force components must be consistently
represented in opposite directions on the separate free-body diagrams.

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  If we choose to use vector notation in labeling the forces, then we must be careful
to use a plus sign for an action and a minus sign for the corresponding reaction.

Sample Problems

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 Interconnected rigid bodies with multi force members

 Previously we have seen equilibrium of single rigid bodies. Now we have equilibrium of
interconnected members which involves multi force members.
 If the frame or machine constitutes a rigid unit by itself when removed
from its supports, like the A frame below, the analysis is began by

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 establishing all the forces external to the structure treated as a single rigid body. We then dismember
the structure and consider the equilibrium of each part separately.

 If the structure is not a rigid unit by itself but depends on its external supports for rigidity, as shown
below, then the calculation of the external support reactions cannot be completed until the structure is
dismembered and the individual parts are analyzed.

 Reading Assignment: Read sample problems 4/5 and 4/6.

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