SLOPE DEFLECTION METHOD

BY RR NAIR MTECH MCA MIE MASCE

HOD CIVIL ENGG
GISAT PAYYAPPADI KOTTAYAM
 SLOPE DEFLECTION METHOD
• FIRST PRESENTED BY PROF G A MANEY OF
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DURING 1915
• In this method the joints of a frame is
assumed to be rotating as a whole unit
without relative movement of members
joining at one joint.
• The rotations of the joint are treated as
unknowns
Assumptions
 All deformations are due to bending
moments only
 A member is having a constant section
between two supports
 All joints in the frame are rigid ie. Angle
between the members do not change.
The joint rotates as a single unit.
 Advantages
 This method can be used for both statically
determinate and indeterminate structures.
 In this method primary unknowns are rotations and
displacements
 Static indeterminacy is irrelevant in this method
 In case of force method, as degree of indeterminacy
increases the method become laborious. But in case
of SDM this do not happen as the degree of static
indeterminacy is irrelevant.
 All beams and rigid frames can be analysed using
this method
 Due to its general nature this method is suitable for
computerisation.
Limitation
Since the slope deflection method make use
of the relative stiffness of members in the
analysis it is essential to know the moment of
inertia of members in advance.
 Joint moment or joint force equilibrium is
made use of for solution of slope deflection
equations in this method.
 In this method joint moments and forces are
expressed in terms of unknown deformations
which are solved using equilibrium conditions
at each joint.
 The deformations are then back substituted in
moment equations to find out the moments in
each members
 Procedure of SDM
 End moments of each member is written down
in terms of the stiffness of the member and the
rotation there
 Equilibrium equation for each joint is framed
using the above calculated moments.
 These equations are then solved and the
rotations are obtained
 The rotations so obtained is substituted in the
equations to obtain the moments on each
member
 MFAB MFBA
A

L
TANGENT AT B
YAB
LθB
A B
δ δ
LθB YBA LθA
TANGENT AT A
B1
mBA/EI

mAB/EI
Conjugate beam for span AB
MFAB
θA
θB δ
MFBA
Consider a continuous beam with external loading
Consider an internal span AB of the beam
At the support A and B the beam rotates through an angle A & B respectively
If the supports of the span were totally fixed, these rotations would have been zero
But in reality the supports are not totally fixed and hence rotations are developed at
supports.
Since the beam has a certain stiffness, these rotations induces moments at the
span.
Also consider the support B is settled through an amount .
This deflection also induces a moment at both the supports.
Now we can consider the support moments as the algebraic sum of
(a) The fixed end moment.
(b) The moment induced due to rotation.
(c) The moment induced due to the support settlement.
• A – Rotation at end A
• B – Rotation at end B
• Settlement of support B from normal line of beam
• mAB – moment induced at support A due to rotation A
• mBA – moment induced at support B due to rotation B
• AB’ – Tangent to elastic curve at A makes an angle A with original beam
line.
• B1A’ – Tangent to elastic curve at B makes angle B with original beam
line.
• YBA Deviation of B from tangent at A
• YAB Deviation of A from tangent at B

Using Moment Area Theorem No II

(-VE SIGN IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE

DEVIATION YBA IS ABOVE THE TANGENT
AT A )
BUT ALSO REFERRING TO FIGURE
Similiarly

Solving
MOMENTS DUE TO
ROTATIONS AND
SETTLEMENT
 FINAL MOMENTS IN THE SPAN

After Obtaining the above equations Additional

equations required to solve the unknown
deformations are obtained by checking the
equilibrium condition at joints. That is Σ M =0

If we consider a joint B , Sum of all end moments of

members joining at that particular joint is equated to
zero. Ie. MBA + MBC =0
Analysis of Frames without Sidesway – Slope-
Deflection Method
• In case of frames without sidesway the
analysis using slope deflection method can
proceed exactly similar to that of continuous
beams
• Side sway of a frame is prevented when there
is a support restricting any horizontal
movement.
• If the frame is geometrically symmetrical and
loading is also symmetrical.
• Example
60 KN 30 KN/M
B
C
A
I I

2I 4M

D
4M 4M

FIXED END MOMENTS

FAB=+ 60X4/8 = +30 KNM FBA = -30 KNM

FBC=+ 30X42/12 = +40 KNM FCB = -40 KNM
FCD=FDC=0
SLOPE DEFLECTION EQUATIONS