1.

Introduction
Purpose of this course
To calculate the responses including internal forces (axial, shear, moment) distribution
and displacements (deflections) of framed structures.

Five elements of structural analysis

1.

2.

Basic mechanics:
(a) stress-strain relationships
(b) equilibrium equations
(c) compatibility equations
Finite element mechanics, or member force-deformation relationships

M2 (2 )

M1(1)
EI

L
Stiffness methods: forces in terms of displacements through stiffness
coefficients
M 1 2 EI 2 1 1


L 1 2 2
M 2

Flexibility methods: deformations in terms of forces through flexibility

coefficients
1
L 2 1 M 1

2 6 EI 1 2 M 2

3.

4.
5.

Formulation of structural (global) equations

Meaning of structural equations:
Stiffness methods: equilibrium equations
Flexibility methods: compatibility equations (consistent deformation)
Equation solving
Gauss elimination, decomposition methods, etc.
Solution interpretation
Member forces diagrams such as axial, shear and moment diagrams
Deformed shapes
1

Types of analysis (see also Sec 8.1 of textbook)

Linear analysis
Nonlinear analysis:
Geometrically nonlinear analysis (second-order analysis, P-Delta effects)

P
V

Vh

Vh P

Vh

PE

1
1

P
PE

Vh 3
3 EI

2 EI
4h 2

Materially nonlinear analysis

elastic

Nonlinear analysis due to change in boundary conditions (such as contact problems)

P ( )

Considering a ball subjected to a load P, the contact area will increase as the load
increases.

Example of geometrically nonlinear analysis:

A simple example, two-member truss, illustrating the geometrically nonlinear analysis is
as follows.

Solution:
For

displacement

, we have

L =

(h ) 2 ( L cos ) 2 .

Knowing

L L'
and the stress-strain relationship f ( ) , we can first obtain the stress
L
corresponding to this displacement and then the axial force F A . Finally, the equilibrium
equation states that P 2F sin , where sin (h ) / L . It shall be noted that the

equilibrium equation is written for the deformed configuration, which is the main feature of
geometric nonlinear analysis. With different stress-stain relationships, the P curves are
of different shapes but all the curves pass through (0,0), (h,0)and (2h,0).
P

Plim
Pi

Another famous example related to geometric nonlinear analysis is a horizontal cable

fixed at both ends and with a pretention T. Assume the length of the cable is 2L and the cable
is subjected to a vertical load P applied at the midpoint. Assuming T is much larger than P,
calculate the vertical deflection at the loaded point.
3

Solution:
The equilibrium equation for the deformed configuration is:

2(T F ) sin P
where F is the increment of the tension since T is much larger than P, F much be very
small compared with T. Also, sin v / L ; hence,

2T

v
P
L

The relation v

PL
2T

P
is what we will expect.
T

Different levels of analysis