Truss

2
Plane Trusses
Truss: A framework composed of members joined at their ends
to form a rigid structure

Joints (Connections): Welded, Riveted, Bolted, Pinned

Plane Truss: Members lie in a single plane

 Continue…
 There are three broad categories of engineering structures considered:
1. Trusses, which are designed to support loads and are usually stationary. Trusses
consist exclusively of straight members connected at joints located at the ends of each
member. Members of a truss, therefore, are two force members, i.e., members acted
upon by two equal and opposite forces directed along the member.
2. Frames, which are also designed to support loads and are also usually stationary,
fully constrained structures. However, like the crane, frames always contain at least
one multiforce member, i.e., a member acted upon by three or more forces which, in
general, are not directed along the member.
3. Machines, which are designed to transmit and modify forces and are structures
containing moving parts. Machines, like frames, always contain at least one
multiforce member.
 Plane Trusses
Basic Assumptions of a perfect truss
• (1) The joints of a simple truss are assumed to be pin connections
and frictionless. The joints, therefore, cannot resists moments.
• (2) The loads on the truss are applied at the joints only.
• (3) The members of a truss are straight two force members with the
forces acting collinear with the center line of the members.
• (4) The weights of the member are negligibly small unless otherwise
mentioned.
• (5) The truss is statically determinate.
Statically Determinate

Truss is statically determinate if three equations of static equilibrium are

sufficient to solve for all unknowns acting in the truss and m + 3 = 2j
m is number of members, and j is number of joints in truss

Equations of equilibrium become

∑ Fx  0 ∑ Fy  0 ∑MA 0

There are three unknowns and number of equation is three.

Therefore, the structure is statically determinate

The rigid body is completely constrained

Statically Indeterminate

When more or less number of members/supports are present than are needed to prevent
collapse/stability
Statically Indeterminate Truss
• Cannot be analyzed using equations of equilibrium alone!
•Additional members or supports which are not necessary for maintaining the equilibrium
configuration Redundant
Truss is statically indeterminate if m + 3 > 2j or m +3 < 2j
m is number of members, and j is number of joints in truss

L06
Structural Analysis: Plane Truss
Zero Force Members
Structural Analysis: Plane Truss
Zero Force Members
Truss Analysis: Method of Joints
• Finding forces in members
Method of Joints: Conditions of equilibrium are satisfied for the forces
at each joint
– Equilibrium of concurrent forces at each joint
Equations are
–Involved Steps of Analysis
1. Draw Free Body Diagram of Truss
2. Determine external reactions by applying
equilibrium equations to the whole truss
3. Perform the force analysis of the
remainder of the truss by Method of
Joints
Structural Analysis: Plane Truss
Method of Joints
• Start with any joint where at least one known load exists and where not more than two
unknown forces are present.

FBD of Joint A and members AB and AF: Magnitude of forces denoted as AB & AF
- Tension indicated by an arrow away from the pin Compression
- indicated by an arrow toward the pin

Magnitude of AF from Magnitude of

AB from

Analyze joints F, B, C, E, & D in that

order to complete the analysis
Structural Analysis: Plane Truss
Method of Joints

Zero Force
Member

Check
Equilibrium
• Negative force if assumed
sense is incorrect
Show
forces on
members
 •Consider the FBD of the truss as shown to get the unknown reactions at A and B
Example•Consider the equilibrium at each hinge to find the force in the members.
y

*Assume tensile forces act on all the members….. 10kN

x
*Consider for all Problems……….. 45o C
1m
A θ
Ax B

Ay 3m By
Overall equilibrium 
F x  0  Ax 10 cos 45  0  Ax  7.07kN
By  5.89kN
M A 0  B y  3 10 cos 45110 sin 451.5  0 
Ay  1.18kN
F y  0  Ay  B y  10 sin 45  16
As we are solving the problem using the method of joints, we take
equilibrium at each point. As we have assumed the forces in all the
members are tensile, the direction of the reaction force they exert FBC
θ B
on the hinges are as shown. FAB

By = 5.89 kN

tan  1
1.5
F AC
Equilibrium at B  Ax = 7.07 kN
A
 Fy  0  FBC sin  By  0  FBC  10.62kN
θ
FAB

FAB  8.84kN Ay = 1.18 kN

F x 0  FAB  FBC cos  0 
Equilibrium at A 
FAC  2.13kN
F y  0  FAC sin  Ay  0  17
We assumed that all the forces in the members were tensile. But we got
some of them negative. So, the negative sign indicates that the forces in the
members are compressive.

FAB=8.84kN (T)
2.13 kN 10.62 kN
FBC=10.62kN (C)
8.84 kN
FAC=2.13kN (C)

18
 Determine the force in each member of
Example the loaded truss by Method of Joints.

Is the truss statically determinate ? Yes

Are there any Zero Force Members in the truss? No
Example
Example
Example Determine the force in each member of the loaded truss by Method of
Joints.

Is the truss statically determinate ? Yes

Are there any Zero Force Members in the truss? No
Example
Example
Example
Example Using the method of joints, determine
the force in each member of the truss.

• Based on a free-body diagram of the entire truss, solve the 3 equilibrium equations for the reactions at E and C.

• Joint A is subjected to only two unknown member forces. Determine these from the joint equilibrium requirements.

• In succession, determine unknown member forces at joints D, B, and E from joint equilibrium requirements.

• All member forces and support reactions are known at joint C. However, the joint equilibrium
requirements may be applied to check the results.
 Analysis of Truss by method of section

The method of joints is most effective when the forces in all the members of a truss are to be determined.
If, however, the force in only one member or the forces in a very few members are desired,
another method, the method of sections, is more efficient.
Assume, for example, that we want to determine the force in member BD of the truss shown in Fig. To do this, we must determine the force
with which member BD acts on either joint B or joint D. If we were to use the method of joints, we would choose either joint B or joint D as a
free body.
However, we can also choose as a free body a larger portion of the truss, composed of several joints
and members, provided that the desired force is one of the external forces acting on that portion.
If, in addition, the portion of the truss is chosen so that there is a total of only three unknown forces acting upon it, the desired force can be
obtained by solving the equations of equilibrium for this portion of the truss.
 In practice, the portion of the truss to be utilized is obtained by passing a section through
three members of the truss, one of which is the desired member, i.e., by drawing a line which
divides the truss into two separate parts but does not intersect more than three members. Either of
the two portions of the truss obtained after the intersected members have been removed can then
be used as a free body.
 The section nn has been passed through members BD, BE, and CE, and the portion ABC of the truss
is chosen as the free body. The forces acting on the free body are the
loads P1 and P2 at points A and B and the three unknown forces FBD,FBE, and FCE. Since it is not known
whether the members removed were in tension or compression, the three forces have been arbitrarily
drawn away from the free body as if the members were in tension.
 Find the axial force in the member DE of the truss using the method of sections.
Example

Consider the equilibrium of the left hand portion of the truss. The three unknown forces acting on the portion of the truss are F DE, FDB
and FAB
Write the equations of equilibrium by taking moments about B
∑MB = 0 : 2000(3 sin 30˚) – RA(3) + (3 cos 30˚) = 0
2000 × 3 × 0.5 – 3 RA + FDE(3 × 0.866) = 0
FDE = 1500/0.866 FDE = 1732 N (T)
It may be noted that the moment center B chosen above, does not lie on the section of the truss under consideration.
 Find the axial force in the member BF and BC of the truss using the method of
Example sections.