MATRIX STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

There are two methods to analyze structures using matrices, namely,

 Stiffness Method (also known as Displacement method)
 Flexibility Method (also known as Force method)

x
k
P

For an elastic spring shown above, the relationship between the variables is:

P=kx (1)

Where: P = force
x = displacement, and
k = stiffness (the term that relates displacement to force)

The above equation can be rearranged as,

x = (1/k) P or x=fP

Where: f = flexibility = 1/k (reciprocal of stiffness)

The stiffness method is more popular because the method is simpler, more straight forward
and thus it is easier to program in the computer.

Also, the Flexibility or Force Method becomes more complicated when dealing with
indeterminate systems. In Stiffness Method, there is no distinction between determinate and
indeterminate systems and only one process is used for both systems.

Degrees of Freedom (DOF):

 Number of displacements needed to “fully define” the geometry of the system after it is
deformed due to the application of external loads.
 Also equal to the number of independent equilibrium equations. Of the infinite number
of equilibrium equations to choose from, those in the direction of the DOF’s will consist
the system of independent equilibrium equations.
The spring system above has a single degree-of-freedom also commonly referred to as an SDF
system. If the value of x is known, the locations of all points in the system in the deformed state
are known. Therefore, the system has only one DOF.

The basic steps for the stiffness method are illustrated in the examples below:

In a structural analysis problem, generally, the

geometry of the structure (L), the section
properties (A), the material properties (E) and the
external loads are given.

The objective is to determine the member

forces that are needed in the design of the members.
A, E, L
Stiffness Method follows the Method of Joints

Compatibility
Relationship(s) between displacement(s) of the member
with the system displacement(s). x

Example 1 Determinate SDF System

P
Step 1) Set up the equilibrium equations from the FBD of the
joint. The equilibrium equation(s) must be in the direction of the FR
DOF(s) in that joint.
FBD of
 F = 0  FR = P
Lower Joint

Step 2) Establish the member force-displacement relationships

P
From “Strength of Materials” formula for axial members,
 = PL /AE

 FR = (AE/L) 

Where Member displacement

FR  Member force)
k = AE/L  Member stiffness

Step 3) Establish the system and member displacement relationships while satisfying the
compatibility requirements.

 Compatibility: =x
Step 4) Replace the member displacements in Step 2 with the system displacements in Step 3
to get the relations ship between member forces and system displacements. Substitute these
member forces in the equilibrium equations in Step 1. This sets up the general equation

 Ksys * Dsys = Qsys

For this SDF example, the resulting equation is

 (AE/L)x = P

Where: x is the system displacement

P is the system load, and
AE/L is the system stiffness.

Step 5) Determine the unknown system displacement(s).

Step 6) Determine the member displacements from the compatibility relationships in Step 3.

 From compatibility,  = x

Using the member displacements, solve for the member forces from the Step 2
equations.

 Back substitute: FR = (AE/L) 

Example 2 Indeterminate SDF System FBD of Joint

FR1 FR2
Step 1) Equilibrium Equation:
F =0
FR1 + FR2 = P
Rod 1 Rod 2
Step 2) Member Force-Displacement Relationship: A1, E1 A2, E2
P
FR1 = (AE/L)1 1
FR2 = (AE/L)2 2

Step 3) Compatibility:

Where: = system displacement

displacement of Rod 1
 
= displacement of Rod 2

Step 4)

P
 FR1 = (AE/L)1 1 = (AE/L)1 
FR2 = (AE/L)2 2 = (AE/L)2 

Substituting to the equilibrium equation, we get

(AE/L)1  + (AE/L)2  = P

[(AE/L)1 + (AE/L)2]  = P

Back substitute to get the member forces,

FR1 = (AE/L)1 
FR2 = (AE/L)2 

Step 5) Solve for D

 = P / [(AE/L)1 + (AE/L)2]

Step 6) Back substitute to solve for member forces.

FR1 = (AE/L)1 
FR2 = (AE/L)2 

Example 3 Indeterminate Multi-DOF System

100 kN
60 kN
4000 mm

2 3 3
50 kN

3000 mm 1 2
Y 6

X 1 4
80 kN
4

Material Properties: E1 = E2 = 200 GPa; E3 = E4 = 120 GPa; E5 = E6 = 80 GPa

Section Properties: A1 = A3 = A5 = 900 mm2; A2 = A4 = A6 = 1500 mm2

Solve for the member forces, F1 to F6.

Solution:

1) Joint Types:
a) Hinge support ==> No DOF's
b) Roller-X support ==> 1 DOF in the X-direction
c) Roller-Y support ==> 1 DOF in the Y-direction
d) Free joint ==> 2 DOF's , one each in the X and Y directions

System DOF's

D2 D4

3 3
2
D1 D3

1 2
Y 6

1 4
X D5
4

2) Free-Body-Diagrams of the Joints:

-60 kN
Joint 2
Joint 2 is a free joint:
-50 kN F3 X =0: F3 + 0.8F6 = -(-50)
Y =0: F1 + 0.6F6 = +(-60)
3
4
F6
F1

100 kN
Joint 3
Joint 3 is a free joint:
F3 X = 0: F3 + 0.8F5 = 0
Y = 0: F2 + 0.6F5 = +(100)
3
F5 Joint
4 4
F2
F6 F2
 3 Joint 4 is a Roller-X joint:
4
F4 80 kN
X = 0: F4 + 0.8F6 = 80

3) Equilibrium Equations:

Equation 1 ==> F3 + 0.8F6 = 50

Equation 2 ==> F1 + 0.6F6 = -60
Equation 3 ==> F3 + 0.8F5 = 0
Equation 4 ==> F2 + 0.6F5 = 100
Equation 5 ==> F4 + 0.8F6 = 80

4) Member Force-Displacement Relationships:

F = (AE/L) 

Member 1: F1 = (900*200/3000) 1 = (60 kN/mm) *1

Member 2: F2 = (1500*200/3000) 2 = (100 kN/mm) *2
Member 3: F3 = (900*120/4000) 3 = (27 kN/mm) *3
Member 4: F4 = (1500*120/4000) 4 = (45 kN/mm) *4
Member 5: F5 = (900*80/5000) 5 = (14.4 kN/mm) *5
Member 6: F6 = (1500*80/5000) 6 = (24 kN/mm) *6

5) Compatibility Relationships:

System DOF's
D2 D4

3 3
2
D1 D3

1 2
6

1 4
D5
4
D2 D4
Member Elongations:
For Member 1:  1 = D2 3 3 3'
2
D1 D3

1 6 2
 1 4
D5
4

For Member 2:  2 = D4

For Member 3:  3 = D3 - D1

For Member 4:  4 = D5

For Member 5: 5 = 0.8D3 + 0.6D4

For Member 6: 6 = -0.8D1 + 0.6D2 + 0.8D5

D4
Joint 3

For Member 5: 5 = 0.8D3 + 0.6D4

D3
3
5 4 Joint 3

Joint 3 5 3"
3 D3 3'
D4
5 3
3
4
3
4

6
D1 2' Joint 2 2"
2 D2 4
4 2
6 3
3

4 Joint 4
For Member 6: 6 = -0.8D1 + 0.6D2 + 0.8D5
3
6

6) Set-up the Equilibrium Equations in terms of the DOF's 4 D5 4'

Equilibrium Eqn. 1 ==> 27(D3 - D1) + 0.8(24)(-0.8D1 + 0.6D2 + 0.8D5) = 50

 -42.36D1 + 11.52D2 + 27D3 + 15.36D5 = 50
42.36D1 - 11.52D2 - 27D3 - 15.36D5 = -50

Equilibrium Eqn. 2 ==> 60D2 + 0.6(24)(-0.8D1 + 0.6D2 + 0.8D5) = -60

-11.52D1 + 68.64D2 + 11.52D5 = -60

Equilibrium Eqn. 3 ==> 27(D3 - D1) + 0.8(14.4)(0.8D3 + 0.6D4) = 0

-27D1 + 36.216D3 + 6.912D4 = 0

Equilibrium Eqn. 4 ==> 100D4 + 0.6(14.4)(0.8D3 + 0.6D4) = 100

6.912D3 + 105.184D4 = 100

Equilibrium Eqn. 5 ==> 45D5 + 0.8(24)(-0.8D1 + 0.6D2 + 0.8D5) = 80

-15.36D1 + 11.52D2 + 60.36D5 = 80

In matrix form, the above simultaneous equations is presented below.

42.36 -11.52 -27 0 -15.36 D1 -50

-11.52 68.64 0 0 11.52 D2 -60
-27 0 36.216 6.912 0 D3 = 0
0 0 6.912 105.184 0 D4 100
-15.36 11.52 0 0 60.36 D5 80
Note: The vector containing the D's is called the SYSTEM DISPLACEMENT VECTOR.
The vector containing the EXTERNAL FORCES is called the SYSTEM FORCE/LOAD
VECTOR.
The matrix of coefficients, which relates system DISPLACEMENT to FORCE/LOAD, is
called the SYSTEM STIFFNESS MATRIX.
The SYSTEM STIFFNESS MATRIX (as in all stiffness matrices) contains the following
properties:
1. square
2. symmetric, and
3. positive definite.

7) Solve for the DOF's using CHOLESKY PROCEDURE:

7.1 DECOMPOSITION
u11 = (42.36)0.5 = 6.5085
u12 = -11.52/6.5085 = -1.7700
u13 = -27/6.5085 = -4.1484
u14 = 0/6.5085 = 0
u15 = -15.36/6.5085 = -2.3600
u22 = (68.64 - (-1.77)2)0.5 = 8.0936
u23 = [0 - (-1.77)(-4.1484)]/8.0936= -0.9072
 u24 = [0 - (-1.77)(0)]/8.0936= 0
u25 = [11.52 - (-1.77)(-2.36)]/8.0936= 0.9072
u33 = (36.216 - [(-4.1484)2 + (-0.9072)2])0.5 = 4.2642
u34 = [6.912 - {(-4.1484)(0) + (-0.9072)(0)}]/ 4.2642= 1.6209
u35 = [0 - {(-4.1484)(-2.36) + (-0.9072)(0.9072)}]/ 4.2642= -2.1029
u44 = (105.184 - [(0)2 + (0)2 + (1.6209)2])0.5 = 10.1270
u45 = [0 - {(0)(-2.36) + (0)(0.9072) + (1.6209)(-2.1029)}]/ 10.127 = 0.3366
u55 = (60.36 - [(-2.36)2 + (0.9072)2 + (-2.1029)2 + (0.3366)2])0.5 = 7.0308

7.2 FORWARD SUBSTITUTION

6.5085 0 0 0 0 y1 -50
-1.77 8.0936 0 0 0 y2 -60
-4.1484 -0.9072 4.2642 0 0 y3 = 0
0 0 1.6209 10.127 0 y4 100
-2.36 0.9072 -2.1029 0.3366 7.0308 y5 80

y1 = -50/6.5085 = -7.6823
y2 = [-60 - (-1.77)(-7.6823)] / 8.0936= -9.0933
y3 = [0 - {(-4.1484)(-7.6823) + (-0.9072)( -9.0933)}] / 4.2642= -9.4083
y4 = [100 - {(0)(-7.6823) + (0)( -9.0933) + (1.6209)( -9.4083)}] / 10.127= 11.3805
y5 = [80 - {(-2.36)(-7.6823) + (0.9072)( -9.0933) + (-2.1029)( -9.4083)
+ (0.3366)(11.3805)}] / 7.0308 = 6.6143

7.3 BACKWARD SUBSTITUTION

6.5085 -1.77 -4.1484 0 -2.36 D1 -7.6823
0 8.0936 -0.9072 0 0.9072 D2 -9.0933
0 0 4.2642 1.6209 -2.1029 D3 = -9.4083
0 0 0 10.127 0.3366 D4 11.3805
0 0 0 0 7.0308 D5 6.6143

D5 = 6.6143/7.0308 = 0.9408 mm
D4 = [11.3805 - (0.3366)( 0.9408)] / 10.127 = 1.0925 mm
D3 = [-9.4083 - {(1.6209)( 1.0925) + (-2.1029)( 0.9408)}] / 4.2642= -2.1577 mm
D2 = [-9.0933-{(-0.9072)( -2.1577)+(0)(1.0925)+(0.9072)( 0.9408)}]/8.0936 = -1.4708 mm
D1 = [-7.6823 - {(-1.77)(-1.4708) + (-4.1484)( -2.1577) + (0)(1.0925)
+ (-2.36)( 0.9408)}] / 6.5085 = -2.6145 mm

8) Determine the Member Displacements from Compatibility

For Member 1: 1 = D2 = -1.4708 mm
For Member 2: 2 = D4 = 1.0925 mm
For Member 3: 3 = D3 - D1 = -2.1577 - (-2.6145) = 0.4568 mm
For Member 4: 4 = D5 = 0.9408 mm
For Member 5: 5 = 0.8D3 + 0.6D4 = 0.8(-2.1577) + 0.6(1.0925) = -1.0707 mm
 For Member 6: 6 = -0.8D1 + 0.6D2 + 0.8D5 = -0.8(-2.6145)
+ 0.6(-1.4708) + 0.8(0.9408) = 1.9618 mm

9) Determine the Member Forces from Step 4

Member 1: F1 = (60 kN/mm) *1 = -88.248 kN (C)
Member 2: F2 = (100 kN/mm) *2 = 109.25 kN (T)
Member 3: F3 = (27 kN/mm) *3 = 12.334 kN (T)
Member 4: F4 = (45 kN/mm) *4 = 42.34 kN (T)
Member 5: F5 = (14.4 kN/mm) *5 = -15.418 kN (C)
Member 6: F6 = (24 kN/mm) *6 = 47.083 kN (T)

Exercises:

1) Determine the forces in the members.

1 2 3 4

15 kN 12 kN

1 2 3
L = 1.5m L = 1.7m L = 1.2m
A = 800 mm2 A = 600 mm2 A = 900 mm2
E = 200 GPa E = 120 GPa E = 80 GPa

2) Determine the member forces. Use E = 120 GPa, A1 = 2600 mm2, A2 = 1200 mm2 and A3
= 3600 mm2.
40 kN

1 3
3.2m
1
2 2 3

4.2m 0.8m 4.5m