Description of the Force

Indeterminate Analysis Method Procedure

Force Method1
The force (flexibility) method 1. Determine the degree of static
expresses the relationships indeterminacy.
between displacements and Number of releases* equal to the
forces that exist in a structure. degree of static indeterminacy are
Primary objective of the force applied to the structure.
method is to determine the Released structure is referred to as
chosen set of excess unknown the primary structure.
forces and/or couples Primary structure must be chosen
redundants. such that it is geometrically stable
The number of redundants is and statically determinate.
equal to the degree of static Redundant forces should be
indeterminacy of the structure. carefully chosen so that the primary
1Also see pages 115 141 in your class notes. 1 structure is easy to analyze 2

* Details on releases are given later in these notes.

Force Method cont Force Method cont

2. Calculate errors (displacements) at
the primary structure redundants. 4. Calculate redundant forces to
These displacements are calculated eliminate displacement errors.
using the method of virtual forces. Use superposition equations in
which the effects of the separate
3. Determine displacements in the redundants are added to the
primary structure due to unit values displacements of the released
of redundants (method of virtual structure.
forces). These displacements are
required at the same location and in Displacement superposition results
the same direction as the in a set of n linear equations (n =
displacement errors determined in number of releases) that express the
step 2. fact that there is zero relative
displacement at each release.
3 4

1
 Force Method cont Flexibility Analysis

These compatibility equations (1)

guarantee a final displaced shape
consistent with known support R2
R1
conditions, i.e., the structure fits

=
together at the n releases with no
relative displacements.
(2)
D1 D2

5. Hence, we find the forces on the +

original indeterminate structure. f11 (x R1)
f21 (x R1)
They are the sum of the correction (3)
forces (redundants) and forces on the
1 (R1)
released structure.
+
f22 (x R2)
5
(3) 6
f12 (x R2)
1 (R2)

f11 R1 f12 R2 D1 0 f f12 flexibility

[F] = 11
(4) f 21 f 22 matrix

f21 R1 f22 R2 D2 0 [F]-1 ( inverse flexibility matrix)

Solve for R1 and R2. 1 f 22 f12

Using matrix methods: f11f 22 f12f 21 f 21 f11

[F] {R} = -{D} D primary

{D} 1
D2 structure
{R} = -[F]-1 {D}
displacement
vector
7 8

2
 redundant
R Releases
{R} 1 force
R 2 vector
Release is a break in the continuity of
R1 1 f 22 D1 f12D 2 the elastic (displacement) curve.

R 2 det[F] f 21D1 f11D 2
One release only breaks a single type
det [F] = f11f 22 f12f 21 of continuity.

Figure 1 shows several types of

(5) releases.

With R1 and R2 known, Common release is the support

reaction, particularly for continuous
remaining structure is
beams.
statically determinate. 9 10

Flexibility Equations
Primary structure displacements at
the releases are related to the
unknown redundant forces via

D i f ij R j (1)

f ij displacement at release i due

to a unit force in the direction of
and at release j; flexibility
coefficients.
Equation 1 for the case of three
redundant forces is expressed as
11 12

3
D1 f11 R1 f12 R2 f13 R3 R1

{R} = R 2 = <R1 R2 R3>T
D2 f21 R1 f22 R2 f23 R3 (2a)
R3
D3 f31 R1 f32 R2 f33 R3 = redundant force
vector
Matrix form of (2a)

-{D} = [F] {R} (2b)

f11 f12 f13
D1
[F] = f 21 f 22 f 23
{D} = D 2 = <D1 D2 D3>T
D
3
f31 f32 f33
= displacement vector at the = flexibility matrix
redundant degrees of 13 14

freedom

Flexibility Coefficients
Displacement Calculations Method of Virtual Forces
Method of Virtual Forces
fij fija fijb (4)

FVj
Di FVi d MVi d fija FVi dx
EA(x)
(3)
axial deformation influence
subscript i direction of Ri at coefficient
release i

M Vj
d = differential axial displacement f ijb M Vi dx
EI(x)
d = differential rotational displ
bending deformation
15 influence coefficient 16

4
 Force Method 2. Calculate the support reactions
Examples for the two-span continuous beam,
EI = constant.
1. Calculate the support reactions
for the two-span continuous beam, w
EI = constant. w

L L
L L

=
=

w
w

Primary Structure w/ Load

Primary Structure w/ Load
+
+
R1 R2
1 (x R1) 17 Primary Structure w/ Redundant Forces
18

Primary Structure w/ Redundant

Prismatic Member Displacements

19 20

5
 3. Calculate the support reactions
for the two-span continuous beam
using the internal moment at B as
the redundant force, IAB = 2I and
IBC = I; E = constant.

P
L
2

Primary Structure w/ Loading

21 22

MB 4. Calculate the bar forces for

the statically indeterminate
truss.
Primary Structure w/ Redundant

DB = __________________

fBB = _________________

Statically Statically
MB = _________________ Indeterminate Determinate
Truss Released Truss
23 (Redundant24X)

6
 Nonmechanical
Loading

[F]{R} ({D}{D }) (5)

{D} D1 D 2 D nT
= relative dimensional change
displacements calculated using
principle of virtual forces

Displacements due to dimension

changes are all relative displace-
ments, as are all displacements
corresponding to releases. They are
positive when they are in the same
25 vector direction as the corres- 26
ponding release (redundant).

Mathematical
Structure Forces Expressions
Once the redundant forces are Calculation of the non-redundant
calculated from Eq. (5), all other forces Ai (support reactions, internal
support reactions and internal shears and moments, truss member
forces) can be expressed using
member forces can be calculated superposition as
using static equilibrium along with NR
the appropriate free body diagrams. Ai A ip (A ui ) j R j(6)
p j1
This is possible since the force where Ai = desired action Ai on
method of analysis has been used to the primary structure due to the
determine the redundant forces or applied loading; (A ui ) j = action
the forces in excess of those Ai on the primary structure due to
required for static determinacy. 27
a unit virtual force at redundant28
Rj and NR = number of redundants.

7
 Example Beam Problem The interesting point of this example is
Nonmechanical Loading that the flexibility equation will have a
nonzero right hand side since the
redundant displacement is prescribed
to equal 0.72 downward. Thus the
flexibility equation is

fBB RB = dB - D B (7)
where
dB = prescribed displacement
at redundant B
= -0.72" since RB is
E = 30,000 ksi
positive upward
D B = -0.24"
I = 288 in4
(a) Given structure
(b) Primary structure 29 dB D
B
relative displacement
30
at redundant B

Truss Example
Truss Example 3 @ 20 = 60
Nonmechanical Loading B C

A D 15
For the truss structure on the
next page, compute the E F
redundant bar EC member force
if the temperature in bar EF is B C

increased 50 oF and member BF A 1 D

is fabricated 0.3 in. too short.
EA = constant = 60,000 kips and E F
= 6x10-6 /oF. Primary Structure Subjected
to FCE = 1

31 32

8
Truss Example Calculations 1 m
Mem L FV FV FVL f CE,CE FVi FVi Li
EA i 1
AB 240" 0 0

AE 300" 0 0 m

BC 240" -4/5 153.6 DCE FVi i
i 1
BE 180" -3/5 64.8

BF 300" 1 300
EF TEF LEF 0.072"

BF BF 0.3"
CD 240" 0 0

CE 300" 1 300

180"
fCE,CE FCE DCE 0
CF -3/5 64.8

DF 300" 0 0

EF 240" -4/5 153.6 33 34

Displacement

m
Calculations
1 () = FVi i
Displacements for the statically
indeterminate structure can be i 1
calculated using the exact member

m
deformations for a truss or exact F L
= FVi i i int
i (8)
shear and moment expressions EAi
along with the virtual force expres- i 1

sions on the primary structure. FVi = primary structure member

forces due to the application of
For a truss structure, calculation a unit virtual force at the joint
of a joint displacement using the for which the displacement
principle of virtual forces results in is desired and in the direction
35
of 36

9
 = primary structure displace- For a frame structure, in which shear
and axial deformations are ignored,
ment at desired displacement
due to nonmechanical effects the displacements are calculated as

i
L

m
= exact member displacements
Mi
that are obtained for the sta- 1() M Vi int
i dx
tically indeterminate structure EIi
using the calculated redundant i 1 0
forces to determine all the (9a)
member forces within the truss
L

structure m
M
1() M V i i iint
int
i = member displacements due EI i
dx

to nonmechanical loading on i 1 0
the member 37
(9b)
38

In Eqs. (9a) and (9b) the moment

M
Vi , MVi = primary structure virtual
expressions are exact based on the
moments based on the
desired displacement or statically indeterminate structure
rotation subjected to the external loads with
the redundant forces known from
, = primary structure displace- the flexibility analysis.
ments at or rotation due
to environmental loads or Equations (8), (9a), and (9b) are cor-
causes rect only because exact real member
forces are used in the calculation of
int
i = primary structure initial the desired displacements.
curvature strain caused by
nonmechanical loading
39 40

10
Calculate the horizontal displace-
ment at joint B for the statically Calculate the rotation at the center
support for the two-span
indeterminate truss.
continuous beam, EI = constant.
D 16
40 k C w

12
R1 L L
A B
R1 R2
D C 1

L L

Primary Structure w/ Virtual

A B Load at Desired Displacement
1
Location
Primary Structure Subjected to
41 42
Virtual Loading

Alternatively, you can express matrix of displacement influence

the desired displacement coefficients at the desired
calculations also in matrix form displacement locations due to unit
following the usual superposition values of the redundant forces
process of the force method of {R}. Stated mathematically, the
analysis: coefficients of [F] are
{} [F ]{R} {D } {D } (10)
F ij i R 1 (11)
j
where {} = vector of desired
displacements; {D }, {D } = which simply states that the dis-
vector of desired displacements placement influence coefficients
for the primary structure for both equal the displacement at desired
mechanical and non-mechanical displacement i on the primary
loadings, respectively; [F] = structure due to a unit force at
43
redundant j on the primary 44

structure.

11