Strength and rigidity

Secondary members

• Strength mainly depends upon material properties and

the strength of a material depends on its capacity to
withstand all the stress.
• The application of load to a structure generates internal
forces in the elements and external (reaction) forces at main frame
the foundations.
• The elements and foundations must have sufficient
strength and rigidity to resist these.
• They must not rupture when the peak load is applied. Internal force
• The requirement for sufficient strength can be achieved
by ensuring the levels of stress (which occur in the stres
various elements of a structure) are within acceptable s
limits when the peak loads are applied.
• The assessment of the loads that will act on The roof truss carrying roof dead load,
gravitational imposed load and wind load
a structure involves the prediction of all different Snow (gravitational
circumstances which will cause load to the building in imposed load)
its lifetime and the estimation of the greatest Tile(dead
magnitudes of these loads. load)

• The structural elements of a building direct the loads

to the foundation.
Occupants and furniture
• The structural elements must have sufficient strength (gravitational imposed load)
and rigidity to resist the internal forces which the loads Wind causing
pressure load
will cause.
• The structure will collapse if the stress levels exceed Floor carrying dead load
and imposed load
the strength of the material.
• The designer must anticipate all of these possibilities
and investigate all likely combinations of them.
 Imaginary cut
The ‘imaginary cut’ is a device for exposing internal forces Imaginary cut
and rendering them susceptible to equilibrium analysis. In the
simple beam shown here shear force and bending moment are
the only internal forces required to produce equilibrium in the
element isolated by the cut. These are the only internal forces
that act on the cross-section at which the cut was made. In the
case of the portal frame, axial thrust is also required at the
cross-section exposed by the cut.