STRUCTURAL THEORY

PRESENTATION NO. 3
MECHANICS? STRENGTH OF MATERIALS? THEORY OF STRUCTURES?
MECHANICS is the science which describes and predicts the
conditions of rest and motion of the bodies under the action of
forces.

STRENGTH OF MATERIALS deals with the relations between

externally applied loads and their internal effects on the bodies.

THEORY OF STRUCTURES deals with the principles and

methods by which the direct stresses, the shear and bending
moment and the deflection at any section of each constituent
member in the structure may be calculated.
 TRIBUTARY AREAS
-The loaded area of a particular structure that
directly contributes to the load applied to a
particular member in a structure.

-To simplify, it is best defined as the area that is

bounded by lines halfway to the next beam or to
the next column.
R1 R2 R1 R2
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
-To ensure the equilibrium of a structure or its
members, it is not only necessary to satisfy the
equations of equilibrium, but the members must
also be properly held or constrained by their
supports. r < 3n , unstable
r ≥ 3n , unstable if member reactions are
concurrent or parallel or some of the
components form a collapsible mechanism
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY

Causes of instability on structures:

a. Partial Constraints – when a structure or one of its members
may have fewer reactive forces than the equations of equilibrium.
∑Fx = 0 , will not be satisfied
for the given load condition ,
therefore the member will be
unstable.
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY

Causes of instability on structures:

b. Improper Constraints – In some cases there may be as many
unknown forces as there are equations of equilibrium, however ,
instability Geometric
can develop due –towhen
instability improper
the line placement ofreactive
of action of the supports.
forces
intersect a common point ( concurrent ) or parallel to one another.

∑MO ≠ 0, Geometric instability

occurs due to concurrent action
line of the reactions @ the roller
supports
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY

Causes of instability on structures:

b. Improper Constraints – In some cases there may be as many
unknown forces as there are equations of equilibrium, however ,
instability Geometric
can develop due –towhen
instability improper
the line placement ofreactive
of action of the supports.
forces
intersect a common point ( concurrent ) or parallel to one another.

∑Fh ≠ 0, Geometric instability

occurs due to parallel action line
of the reactions @ the roller
supports
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
For a coplanar structure there are at most three equilibrium equations for each part, so
that if there is a total of n parts and r force and moment reaction components, we have;
r = 3n , Statically determinate
r > 3n , Statically indeterminate
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
- Determinacy is the ability to compute support reactions
using plain statics. That is, if a structure is determinate,
the equations of equilibrium are sufficient to find all the
forces.

- If it is indeterminate, there are too many reactions to

solve for. This is the classic problem of having more
unknowns than independent equations to solve for the
unknowns.

- If there are to few reactions, then the structure is

unstable.
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
Statically Determinate
When all the forces in a structure can be determined
strictly from Equilibrium Equations.

Equilibrium Equations:
∑M = 0
∑Fx = 0
∑Fy = 0
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
Statically Indeterminate
-Structures having more unknown forces than the
available equilibrium equations.
- Additional equations were needed to solve for the
unknown reactions, these equations are obtained by
relating the applied loads and reactions to the
displacement or slope at different points on the
structures. These equations are referred to as the
compatibility equations, and the number of such
equations is termed as degree of indeterminacy of the
structure.
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
For a coplanar structure there are at most three
equilibrium equations for each part, so that if there is a
total of n parts and r force and moment reaction
components, we have;

r = 3n , Statically determinate
r > 3n , Statically indeterminate
 STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
SAMPLE PROBLEMS:
Classify each of the structures shown as statically determinate
or statically indeterminate. Indicate the degree of indeterminacy.
The structures are subjected to external loadings that are assumed
to be known and can act anywhere on the beams.
Nos of reaction elements , r = 5
Nos. of members, n = 1
5 = 3(1)
r > 3n ; 5 > 3
•Statically indeterminate to the
second degree
STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
Nos of reaction elements, r = 10
Nos. of members, n = 3

10 = 3(3)
r > 3n ; 10 > 9

Statically indeterminate to the

first degree
STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
Nos of reaction elements, r = 10
Nos. of members, n=2

10 = 3(2)
r > 3n ; 10 > 6

Statically indeterminate to the fourth

degree
STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
Nos of reaction elements, r = 9
Nos. of members, n=2

9 = 3(2)
r > 3n ; 9 > 6

Statically indeterminate to the third

degree
STABILITY AND DETERMINACY
Nos of reaction elements r = 15
Nos. of members n=3

15 = 3(3)
r > 3n ; 15 > 9

Statically indeterminate to the sixth

degree