EXAMPLE

P2
2 P1

L L

450 450
1 3
2L

All members have equal cross section and material EA

Member Elongations
u2(2)
u1(2) 2
( i + j)
2
n12 =
2
L n 23
2
L
n 23 = ( i − j)
2
n12
450 450 3 u1(3) n 31 = −i
1
2L n 31

δ 12 = (u (2) − u(1) ) ⋅ n12 =

2
( u1 + u2(2) )
2 (2)

δ 23 = (u(3) − u (2) ) ⋅ n 23 =
2
(
2 (3)
u1 − u1(2) − ( u2(3) − u2(2) ) )
δ 31 = ( u(1) − u (3) ) ⋅ n31 = u1(3)

1
 Member Forces

EAδ 12
F 12 =
L12
=
2L
( u1 + u2(2) )
2 EA (2)

u2(2) EAδ 23
F 23 = = ( u1 − u1(2) + u2(2) )
2 EA (3)
2 u1(2) L23
2L
EAδ 31 2 EA (3)
F 31 = 31 = u1
F 12 F 23 L 2L

F 23
12
F
1 3 u1(3)
F 31 F 31

P2 Equilibrium
EAδ 12
2 P1 F 12 =
L12
=
2L
( u1 + u2(2) )
2 EA (2)

EAδ 23
F 12 F 23 F 23 =
L23
=
2L
( u1 − u1(2) + u2(2) )
2 EA (3)

F 23 EA δ 31
2 EA (3)
12 F 31 = 31 = u1
F L 2L
1 3
1
R
1 F 31 F 31
R21 R23

P1 + ( F 23 − F 12 ) 2 = 0, P2 + ( F 23 + F 12 ) 2=0
R11 + F 31 + F 12 / 2 = 0, R21 + F 12 / 2 = 0
− F 31 − F 23 / 2 = 0, R23 + F 23 / 2 = 0

2
 Equations for u

u2(2) 2 PL
(2)
2u1(2) − u2(3) = 1

2 u 1
EA
2P L
12 23
2u2(2) + u2(3) = 2
F F EA

12
F 23 ( )
−u1(2) + u2(2) + 1 + 2 u2(3) = 0
F
1 3 u1(3)
F 31 F 31

Matrix Form
⎡2 0 −1 ⎤ ⎡u1(2) ⎤ ⎡ P1 ⎤
EA ⎢ ⎥ ⎢ (2) ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
2 L ⎢⎢
0 2 1 ⎥ ⎢u2 ⎥ = ⎢ P2 ⎥
− + ⎥ ⎢u1(3) ⎥ ⎢ 0 ⎥
⎣ 1 1 1 2 ⎦⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦

[K ]u = r
⎡ ( 2 + 4 ) ( −2 2 P2 + 7 P1 + P2 ) 2 ( P1 − P2 − 2 2 P2 ) 2 ( P1 − P2 ) ⎤⎥
U := ⎢⎢ ,− , ⎥
⎣ 56 8 4 ⎦

2L
u= U
EA

3
 Member forces
EAδ 12
F 12 =
L12
=
2L
( u1 + u2(2) )
2 EA (2)

EAδ 23
F 23 = 23 =
L 2L
( u1 − u1(2) + u2(2) )
2 EA (3)

EAδ 31
2 EA (3)
F 31 = 31 = u1
L 2L
⎡ F 12 ⎤ ⎡ 1 0 1⎤ ⎡u1 ⎤
(2)

⎢ 23 ⎥ 2 EA ⎢ ⎥ ⎢ (2) ⎥
⎢ F ⎥ = 2 L ⎢ −1 1 1⎥ ⎢u2 ⎥
⎢ F 31 ⎥ ⎢⎣ 0 0 1⎥⎦ ⎢⎣u1(3) ⎥⎦
⎣ ⎦
⎡3 3 1 2 P2 2 P1 P1 P2 ⎤⎥
F := ⎢⎢ P1 − P2 + 2 P1, − , − ⎥
⎣4 4 2 2 2 2 2 ⎦

What if the structure is a mechanism?

You can follow the procedure and arrive at

the system of equations:
[K ]u = r
Since nonzero displacements can occur without
inducing member forces, matrix K will be singular.
•The number of zero eigenvalues corresponds to the
degree of indeterminacy: (number of missing
members or reactions.
•Null vectors of K correspond to the motion allowed
by the mechanism

4
 EXAMPLE
P22 P23
2
2 P
1 3 P13
L

L L

450 450
1 4

All members have equal cross section and material EA

2 2
n12 = ( i + j) , n 23 = i, n34 = ( i − j)
2 2

P22 P23 Stiffness

2 P12 3 P13
L

L L

1 4 4
4
50 50

⎡3 2 1 2 −1 0 ⎤ ⎡u12 ⎤ ⎡ P12 ⎤
⎢1 2 1 2 ⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢ 0 0 ⎥⎥ ⎢u22 ⎥ ⎢ P22 ⎥
K =
⎢ −1 0 3 2 1 2 ⎥ ⎢u13 ⎥ ⎢ P13 ⎥
⎢ ⎥⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎣ 0 0 −1 2 1 ⎦ ⎣⎢u23 ⎥⎦ ⎣⎢ P23 ⎦⎥

3 5 3 5
Eigenvalues: 0, 1, + , −
2 2 2 2

5
 Null Vector
3
2
L

L L

450 450
1
⎡u12 ⎤ ⎡ 1 ⎤ 4
⎢ 2⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢u2 ⎥ = ⎢ −1⎥
⎢ u13 ⎥ ⎢ 1 ⎥
⎢ 3⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢⎣ u2 ⎥⎦ ⎣ 1 ⎦

Example
P2B P2C
P1 B P1C
B C

P1D
A D

M=3 R=3 J=4

M+R=6 2J=8
M+R<2J
Mechanism

6
 K has two zero eigenvalues;
⎡1 0 −1 0 0 ⎤ ⎡ u1B ⎤ ⎡ P1B ⎤
⎢0 ⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢ 1 0 0 0 ⎥⎥ ⎢ u2B ⎥ ⎢ P2B ⎥ B C

K ⎢ −1 0 1 0 0 ⎥ ⎢ u1C ⎥ = ⎢ P1C ⎥
⎢ ⎥⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥ A D
⎢0 0 0 1 0 ⎥ ⎢ u2C ⎥ ⎢ P2C ⎥
⎢⎣ 0 0 0 0 0 ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣u1D ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣ P1D ⎥⎦
Null vectors are:

⎡u
1
B
⎤ ⎡1 ⎤ ⎡ u1B ⎤ ⎡0 ⎤
⎢ B ⎥ ⎢ ⎥ ⎢ B⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢u
2 ⎥ ⎢0 ⎥ ⎢ u2 ⎥ ⎢ 0 ⎥
⎢u
C ⎥ = ⎢1 ⎥ ⎢ u1C ⎥ = ⎢0 ⎥
⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
1
C ⎢ C⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢u
2 ⎥ ⎢0 ⎥ ⎢ u2 ⎥ ⎢ 0 ⎥
⎢u
D ⎥ ⎢⎣0 ⎥⎦ ⎢u D ⎥ ⎢⎣1 ⎥⎦
⎣1 ⎦ ⎣ 1 ⎦