ME 402

Introduction to FEA
Spring 2020
Lecture 10: Symmetry/Inclined Support

Instructor : Asst. Prof. Dr. Samet AKAR

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Çankaya University
Use of Symmetry in Structures
o If a structure is symmetric, then the size of your finite
element model can be reduced, which, in turn, reduces the
time and cost of your analysis.
o Different types of symmetry may exist in a structure.

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Reflective Symmetry
Reflective symmetry means correspondence in size, shape, and
position of loads; material properties; and boundary conditions
that are on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane.

The symmetry should be used cautiously in problems of vibration and

buckling. Because a structure may have antisymmetric vibration
modes as well as symmetric vibration modes. If only half the structure
is modeled using reflective symmetry conditions, the support
conditions would permit only the symmetric vibration modes.
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Example
o Solve the given plane truss problem.

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Solution…

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Solution…

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Solution...

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Solution …

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Inclined, or Skewed, Supports
If a support is inclined, or skewed, at an angle α from the global x
axis, as shown at node 3 in the plane truss, the resulting
boundary conditions on the displacements are not in the global x
– y directions but are in the local x’ − y’ directions.

How to handle inclined supports

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Inclined Supports
o To account for inclined boundary conditions, we must perform
a transformation of the global displacements at the node which
has inclined support only into the local nodal coordinate
system x’ − y’ , while keeping all other displacements in the x –
y global system.
o We can then enforce the zero-displacement boundary
condition in the force/displacement equations and, finally,
solve the equations in the usual manner.

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Inclined Supports
o We now write the transformation for the entire nodal displacement
vector as:

or

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Inclined Support
The global force vector can also be transformed by using the
same transformation

In global coordinates, we then have

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Example

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Solution

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Solution

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