Structural Mechanics Chapter 3

(CSE 20201)
Trusses
Lecture 3

Dr. Songye ZHU

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics: Lecture 3 2

Lecture 3: Outline 3. Trusses

• Trusses • A truss is a structure composed of slender straight

– Determinacy and Stability members joined together at their end points
– Method of Joints • Members are laid out and connected so they carry
– Method of Sections primarily axial force (tension or compression)
• In this chapter
Reference: Structural Analysis, 6th SI Edition --R. C. Hibbeler
– Only statically determinate trusses
– Only coplanar trusses

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3.1 Joint Connections 3.2 Common Types

• Joint connections are formed by bolting or welding the ends • Planar trusses lie on a single plane and are used to
of the members to a common plate, called a gusset plate, support roofs and bridges
or by simply passing a large bolt or pin through each of the • Roof-supporting truss
members – Roof load is transmitted to the truss at joints by means of a
series of purlins, such as DD’

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3.2 Common Types 3.2 Common Types

• Roof Trusses Bridge Trusses

• The load on the deck is first transmitted to the stringers,
then to the floor beams, and finally to the joints B, C and
D of the two supporting trusses
• Like the roof truss, the bridge truss loading is also
coplanar

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3.2 Common Types 3.3 Design Assumption

• Bridge Trusses • “All loadings are applied at the joints”

– Assumption true for most applications of bridge and roof trusses
– Weight of the members neglected since forces supported by the
members are large in comparison
– If member’s weight is considered, apply it as a vertical force, half of
the magnitude applied at each end of the member
• “The members are joined together by smooth pins”
– Assumption true when bolted or welded joints are used, provided the
center lines of the joining members are concurrent

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3.3 Two-Force Member 3.3 Two-Force Member

• Due to the 2 assumptions, each truss member acts • Each truss member acts as a two force
member, therefore the forces at the ends
as an axial force member must be directed along the axis of the
member
– If the force tends to elongate the member, it is a
tensile force
– If the force tends to shorten the member, it is a
compressive force

Equations of Equilibrium
FBD V1 V2 ΣM1 = 0, V2 = 0 We have only one unknown
ΣM2 = 0, V1 = 0 if we cut a truss member
N1 N2
1 2
ΣFx = 0, N1 = - N2

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3.4 Classification (Coplanar Trusses) 3.4 Classification
• To prevent collapse, the form of a truss
must be rigid unstable • Compound Truss
• The four bar shape ABCD will collapse – Constructed by connecting together 2 or
unless a diagonal member AC is added for more simple trusses
support
• The simplest form that is rigid or stable is a • Complex Truss
triangle

Simple Truss
• A simple truss is constructed starting with a
basic triangular element such as ABC and
connecting two members (AD and BD) to
form an additional element

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3.5 Determinacy 3.5 Determinacy

• Statically Determinate • Total # of unknowns = b + r
– All reactions and internal forces in a structure can be # of bars # of reactions
determined from equilibrium equations only
• Total # of equations = 2 j
• Statically Indeterminate
# of joints
– More unknown reactions and internal forces than
equilibrium equations. – Each member has a single unknown force
– Need to use compatibility equations in addition to the – There are only 2 equilibrium eqn’s per joint
equilibrium equations • Force system at each joint is coplanar & concurrent.
Consequently moment equilibrium is automatically satisfied

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3.5 Determinacy Example 3-1

• Classify the determinacy of the following trusses

b+r=2j statically determinate
b+r>2j statically indeterminate
(b + r) – 2 j = degree of indeterminacy

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Example 3-1 (solution) Example 3-1

• Fig (a) • Fig (b)

– b = 19, – b = 15, r = 4, j = 9
– r = 3, – b+r–j=1
– j = 11 – statically indeterminate to the
– b + r - 2j = 0 first degree
– statically determinate

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Example 3-1 - solution 3.6 Stability
• What if b+r<2j ?

b+r<2j Unstable (partial constraints)

b+r≥2j Stable

• A truss can be unstable even if it is statically determinate or

statically indeterminate
• Stability will have to be determined either through inspection or
by force analysis

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3.6 Stability 3.6 Stability

• Apply arbitrary external loadings to the truss, and • External Stability no horizontal reaction can balance the force
check the stability/constraints.

• External Stability

Externally stable Externally unstable Externally unstable

(concurrent reactions) (parallel reactions)

if take moment at this point, there will be a rotation

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3.6 Stability 3.6 Stability

• Internal stability (need careful inspection) • Internal Stability

– Triangle is always internally stable,
– Parallelogram is not stable in a truss
– Simple truss is internally stable

Internally stable Internally unstable

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3.7 Methods of Analysis 3.7 Sign Convention

• For the design of truss, we need to determine the • Unknown bar forces are always assumed to be in
magnitude and sense (tension and compression) of each tension in this course.
member force – Positive always means tension
– Method of joints: consider equilibrium of each joint to – Negative always means compression
analyze the truss
– Method of sections: cut sections through truss and • Be careful when studying some examples from other
textbooks. Different sign convention may be used instead.
analyze the resulting FBD

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3.7 Sign Convention 3.8 Method of Joints
• Considering the equilibrium of a joint, a member force becomes an
external force on the joint’s FBD
Joint a Joint b

100 100 Fab = +100 100 100 moment equilibrium is automatically

satisfied at the pin joint
Joint a Joint b

100 100 Fab = -100 100 100 FBD

Joint a Joint b

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3.8 Method of Joints Example 3-2

• Analysis procedure Determine the reactions and the member forces in the truss
– Determine support reactions through FBD of entire truss
– Draw FBD of a joint with at most 2 unknowns and at least
1 known force
• Assume tensile force for each unknown member force
– Orient the x and y axes so that the forces on the FBD can
be easily resolved into x and y components
– Solve 2 equations (∑Fx = 0 and ∑Fy = 0) , determine
unknowns
– Move to next joints, repeat FBD and 2 equations
– Show reactions and member forces on sketch of the truss

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Example 3-2 Example 3-2

Solution y
Solution
tension is postive
• Determine support reactions Joint B
– Through the FBD of entire structure x
500 N assume tensile forces in members

• 2 unknown member forces at joint B

• 2 unknown member forces at joint A FBC
FBA
500 N • 2 unknown member forces at joint C

500 N 500 N

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Example 3-2 Example 3-2

y Solution Solution
500 N
Joint A
500 N FAC
x

+ 500
500 N

707.1 N
y + 500
Check Joint C
500 N 500 N
In equilibrium, correct !!
x
500 N 500 N
500 N CSE20201 Structural Mechanics: Lecture 3 35 CSE20201 Structural Mechanics: Lecture 3 36
Example 3-3 Example 3-3
R1

• Determine the forces acting in all the members of R2 • FBD of entire truss
the truss.
R3

1000N

3000 N

3000 N

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• FBD of Joint A
Example 3-3 y FAB Example 3-3
x FAG
• FBD of Joint B
1000 N

0
-1000 N -3000 N

• FBD of Joint E
FDE • FBD of Joint D

x
FEF
3000 N
y

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Example 3-3 Example 3-3
-1000 N +1000 N +2000 N
• FBD of Joint G

0
+1000 N +2000 N
-1000 N -3000 N

-1000 N

-1000 N

0
• FBD of Joint C

-1000 N -2000 N -3000 N

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Example 3-4 3.9 Method of Sections

Determine the force in each member of the truss. • If the forces in only a few members of a truss are to be
found, the method of sections generally provide the most
direct means of obtaining these forces
• This method consists of passing an imaginary section
through the truss, thus cutting it into 2 parts
• Provided the entire truss is in equilibrium, each of the 2
parts must also be in equilibrium

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3.9 Method of Sections 3.9 Method of Sections

• The 3 equations of equilibrium may be applied to • Used to determine the loadings within a
body
either of these 2 parts to determine the member
forces at the “cut section” • If a body is in equilibrium, any part of the
body is in equilibrium
• A decision must be made as to how to “cut” the truss
• In general, the section should pass through not • To determine the forces within the
members, an imaginary section indicated
more than 3 members in which the forces are by the blue line, can be used to cut each
unknown member into two and expose each
internal force as external

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Example 3-5 Example 3-5

• To determine the force in the member GC
(section aa would be considered)

FGF FGF

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Example 3-5 Example 3-5
• Note the line of action of each member force is specified from the • Solution
geometry of the truss
• Member forces acting on one part of the truss are equal and opposite FBD of Left Part
to those acting on the other part – Newton’s Law

Equations of Equilibrium
FGF

FGF FGF

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3.9 Method of Sections Example 3-6

Procedure for Analysis Determine the force in members GE, GC,

Free-Body Diagram and BC of the truss.
• Draw the FBD of that part of the sectioned truss which
has the least number of forces acting on it
Equations of Equilibrium
• Moments are summed about a point that lies at the
intersection of lines of action of the two unknown forces
• The third unknown force is determined directly from
moment equation
• If two of the unknown forces are parallel, forces may be
summed perpendicular to the direction of these
unknowns to determine the third unknown force

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Example 3-6 Example 3-6

Solution Solution
FBD of entire structure
Determine Support Reactions • Choose section aa since it cuts through the three members

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Example 3-6 3.10 Zero-Force Members

FBD of the left part Solution

• Using Method of Joint
– Consider FBD of joint D
– DC and DE are zero-force members
Ans.

Ans.

Ans.

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3.10 Zero-Force Members 3.10 Zero-Force Members

• The load on the truss is therefore supported by only • Example 3-8

five members as shown in fig – Zero-force members also occur at joints having a
geometry as joint D in Fig

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3.10 Zero-Force Members 3.10 Zero-Force Members

FBD of Joint D • Case 1 If
0
• only two members form a truss joint
• two members are not collinear 0
– DF is zero force member • no external load or support reaction at the joint,
these two members must be zero-force members

FBD of Joint F
– Using this result, FC is also a • Case 2 If
zero-force member • three truss members form a “T-type” joint 0

• no external load or support reaction at this joint

the inclined member must be zero-force member

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3.10 Zero-Force Members

• Case 3 If
• only two members form a truss joint

The End
• two members are not collinear
• Only one force aligned to a member applied at the joint,
The other member must be zero-force members

0
of the Session
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