CHAPTER 1.

0 - STRUCTURAL SYSTEM
Week 1

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this week, students should be able to:
1) Identify the types of structures.
2) Calculate the degrees of static indeterminacy for beam,
frame and truss.
3) Classify the structure to unstable, statically determinate
and statically indeterminate.

Engineering Structures
DAM

Hoover Dam Las Vegas, Nevada.

OFFSHORE PLATFORM

Offshore Platform Holly, South Ellwood Field, CA.

BRIDGE

BUILDING
Sundial Bridge in Redding, California

The Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai

Awesome Building Structure

Building in Span

Float with Aerohotel

Cybertexture Egg

The Beautiful Strate Tower

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
What?

Goal

Application

Structural analysis comprises the set of

physical laws and mathematics required to
study and predict the behavior of structures.
Computation of deformations, internal
forces, and stresses.
In practice, structural analysis can be viewed
more abstractly as a method to drive the
engineering design process or prove the
soundness of a design without a
dependence on directly testing it.

Types of structures

Truss

Shell

Beam
Frame

Cable

Arch

Arch & Cable Bridge

Framed Building
The vertical elements are the
columns
The horizontal bands are the
beams
The flat surface on which you
can stand is the slab .
This building has ground floor,
first floor , second floor, and
terrace floor .
This building is a framed
building .

Deformation of Structures
i)

Axial

ii) Shearing
iii) Flexural (bending)
iv) Torsion
Axial

Flexural

Shearing

Torsion

Structural idealization
-To recognize the actual problem and then
formulate the idealized problem (modelling), so
that the structural engineer can perform a
practical force analysis of the members
-Generally, actual structure in 3-D can be
idealized to 2-D.

Idealized Structure
e.g. consider the jib crane & trolley
For analysis, we neglect the thickness of the 2 main
member & will assume that the joint at B is fabricated
to be rigid
The support at A can be modeled as a fixed support
Details of trolley can be excluded

Idealized
to

Support Reactions
The loads applied to a structure must be resist by
support reactions.
The number of reactions depend on the support
conditions.

Support Conditions
Pin

Roller

Fix
M
H

H
V

Support Reactions
Actual Steel Structure Support

Pin Supported (2 Reactions)

Fixed Supported (3 Reactions)

Idealized support
M
H

H
V
1 Horizontal, 1 Vertical

V
1 Horizontal, 1 Vertical, 1 Moment

Support Reactions
Concrete structure

Roller Supported (1 Reaction)

Fixed Supported (3 Reactions)

M
H

V
1 Vertical

Back
V
1 Horizontal, 1 Vertical, 1 Moment

Newtons laws of motion,

Static Equilibrium Equations

For

3-D structures

Fx = 0
M x =0

For

Fy = 0
M y =0

Fz = 0
M z =0

2-D structures, it can be reduced to:

Fx = 0
Fy = 0
M o =0

Structure

Stable

Statically
determinate

Statically
indeterminate

External

unstable

Statically

Internal

Geometrically

Statically
Determinate
Structure
when the static
equilibrium
equations are
sufficient to
determine the
unknown support
reactions.

VS

Statically
Indeterminate
Structure
when the static
equilibrium
equations are not
sufficient to
determine the
unknown support
reactions.

Degree of static indeterminacy (d)

Is the excess of unknown reactions as compared to the
static equations (known as Redundant).

d=r-n-c

For beam & frame

n=3 for 2D structure, Thus

d=r-3-c

For beam & frame

d = degree of static indeterminacy

r = number of support reactions
n = number of static equilibrium equations (n=3 for 2D structures)
c = number of internal hinge

Degree of static indeterminacy (d)

d = m + r - 2j

For plane truss

d = degree of static indeterminacy

m = number of members
r = number of reactions
j = Number of joints

Degree of static
Indeterminacy (d)

Classification of
structure

d is negative (-ve)

statically unstable

d is zero (0)

statically determinate

d is positive (+ve)

statically indeterminate

Examples of beam:
a)

d = 2 3 = -1
statically unstable
b)

d=33=0
statically determinate
c)

d=43=1
statically indeterminate to 1
degree

Examples
Frame
B

d=53
=2
Statically indeterminate to 2
degree.

Truss
A

d = 6 + 4 2(4)
=2

Statically indeterminate to 2
degree.

Stability
It is not only necessary to satisfy the equations of
equilibrium, but the members must also be properly held
or constrained by their supports
2 constraints situations make a structure unstable:i) Partial Constraints
ii) Improper Constraints

i) Partial constraints
Fewer reactive forces than eqns of
equilibrium

Fx = 0

will not be satisfied

Member will be
unstable

ii) Improper constraints

In some cases, unknown forces may equal to the equilibrium.
However, instability or movement of structure could still occur if
support reactions are concurrent at a point

The summation of moments

about point O will not equal to
zero

Pd 0

Similarly instability can occur if all reactive

forces are parallel

Here when an inclined force P is applied, the summation of forces in the

horizontal direction will not equal zero.

Kinematic Indeterminacy
-

When loads are applied on structure, each joint will

undergo displacements (translation and rotation).

Some displacements may be known, some are

unknown.

The number of unknown joint displacements is the degree

of kinematic indeterminacy or the number of DEGREE
OF FREEDOM for joint displacement.

Possible joint displacements

(i)

Horizontal
translation

(ii)

Vertical
translation

beam & frame will

consider (i), (ii) & (iii)

(iii)

Rotation

truss will consider (i) &

(ii) only

Boundary Conditions
(i) Pin support

9 Vertical reaction occur,

(ii) Roller support

Vertical displacement = 0

9 Vertical reaction occur, Vertical displacement = 0

9 Horizontal reaction occur, Horizontal displacement = 0

DOF = 1 (rotation)

DOF = 2 (1 rotation & 1 horizontal displacement)

(iii) Fix support

9 Vertical reaction occur,

Vertical displacement = 0

9 Horizontal reaction occur,

Horizontal displacement = 0

9 Moment reaction occur,

Rotation = 0

DOF = 0

Examples of External & Internal Redundant

d = m + r -2j
m = 11, r = 3, j = 6
A

d = 11 + 3 2(6)
=2

Stable & statically indeterminate to 2

degree
External or internal?
r3=33=0
Thus, there is no redundant in external
support.
**2 internal redundants.

d = m + r -2j

m = 6, r = 3, j = 4
d = 6 + 3 2(4)
=1
Stable & statically indeterminate to 1 degree

r3=0
Thus, there is no redundant in external support.
**1 internal redundant

d = m + r -2j
m = 5, r = 4, j = 4
d = 5 + 4 2(4)
=1

Stable & statically indeterminate to 1 degree

r3=1
**Thus, 1 external redundant

d = m + r -2j

m = 6, r = 4, j = 4
d = 6 + 4 2(4)
=2
Stable & statically indeterminate to 2 degree

since no. of unknown reactions = 4

No. of equilibrium equations = 3
Thus, there is 1 external redundant and 1 internal redundant

Examples of kinematic indeterminacy

0 DOF at joint A
A

2 DOF at joint B
DOF = 2
If axial deformation is ignored, joint B has
only rotation
Thus, DOF = 1

C
Joint A, B, C, D, E each has 2 DOF
D

Joint G has 1 DOF

Joint F has zero, 0 DOF

G
E

DOF = 11

Examples of kinematic indeterminacy

A

C
Joint A, B, C each has 3 DOF
Joint D, E, F has zero, 0 DOF
DOF = 9