CHAPTER 3

INFLUENCE LINES
An influence line is a graph of a response function of a structure as a function of the position of a
downward unit load moving across the structure. An influence line represents the variation of
the reaction, shear, moment, or deflection at a specific point in a member as a concentrated force
moves over the member. Influence lines play an important part in the design of bridges,
industrial crane rails, conveyors, and other structures where loads move across their span.
3.1 Influence Lines for Statically Determinate Structures
For determinate structures, influence lines are drawn by using the equilibrium method.
Procedure for Analysis
The procedure for constructing influence lines for the reactions, shears, and bending moments of
beams and frames by using the equilibrium method can be summarized as follows:
1. Select an origin from which the position of a moving downward concentrated unit load will be
measured. It is usually convenient to assume that the unit load moves from the left end of the
structure to the right end, with its position defined by a coordinate x measured from the left end
of the structure.
2. To construct an influence line for a support reaction:
a. Place the unit load at a distance x from the left end of the structure, and determine the
expression for the reaction in terms of x by applying an equation of equilibrium or condition. If
the structure is composed of two or more rigid parts connected together by internal hinges and/or
rollers, the expression for the reaction may change as the unit load moves from one rigid part to
the next by crossing an internal hinge or roller. Therefore, for such structures, when applying the
equations of condition the unit load must be placed successively on each rigid part of the
structure in the path of the unit load, and an expression for the reaction must be determined for
each position of the load.
b. Once the expression(s) for the reaction for all the positions of the unit load has been
determined, construct the influence line by plotting the expression(s) with the magnitude of the
reaction as ordinate against the position x of the unit load as abscissa. A positive ordinate of the
influence line indicates that the unit load applied at that point causes the reaction to act in the
positive direction (i.e., the direction of the reaction initially used in deriving the equation of the
influence line) and vice versa.
c. Repeat step 2 until all the desired influence lines for reactions has been determined.
3. It is generally convenient to construct the influence lines for shears and bending moments by
using the influence lines for support reactions. Thus, before proceeding with the construction of
an influence line for shear or bending moment at a point on the structure, make sure that the
influence lines for all the reactions, on either the left or right side of the point under
consideration, are available. Otherwise, draw the required influence lines for reactions by using
the procedure described in the previous step. An influence line for the shear (or bending
moment) at a point on the structure can be constructed as follows:
a. Place the unit load on the structure at a variable position x to the left of the point under
consideration, and determine the expression for the shear (or bending moment). If the influence
lines for all the reactions are known, then it is usually convenient to use the portion of the
structure to the right of the point for determining the expression for shear (or bending moment),
which will contain terms involving only reactions. The shear (or bending moment) is considered
to be positive or negative in accordance with the beam sign convention.
b. Next, place the unit load to the right of the point under consideration, and determine the
expression for the shear (or bending moment). If the influence lines for all the reactions are
known, then it is usually convenient to use the portion of the structure to the left of the point for
determining the desired expression, which will contain terms involving only reactions.
c. If the expressions for the shear (or bending moment) contain terms involving only reactions,
then it is generally simpler to construct the influence line for shear (or bending moment) by
combining the segments of the reaction influence lines in accordance with these expressions.
Otherwise, substitute the expressions for the reactions into the expressions for the shear (or
bending moment), and plot the resulting expressions, which will now be in terms only of x, to
obtain the influence line.
d. Repeat step 3 until all the desired influence lines for shears and bending moments have been
determined.
3.2 Influence Lines for Statically Indeterminate Structures
The basic procedure for constructing influence lines for indeterminate structures is the same as
that for determinate structures. The procedure essentially involves computing the values of the
response function of interest for various positions of a unit load on the structure and plotting the
response function values as ordinates against the position of the unit load as abscissa to obtain
the influence line. The influence lines for forces and moments of determinate structures consist
of straight-line segments, by evaluating the ordinates for only a few positions of the unit load and
by connecting them with straight lines. The influence lines for indeterminate structures, however,
are generally curved lines. Thus the construction of influence lines for indeterminate structures
requires computation of many more ordinates than necessary in the case of determinate
structures.
Procedure for Analysis
The procedure for constructing influence lines for statically indeterminate structures by the
method of consistent deformations can be summarized as follows:
1. Determine the degree of indeterminacy of the structure and select redundants.
2. Select a number of points along the length of the structure at which the numerical values
of the ordinates of the influence lines will be evaluated.
3. To construct the influence lines for the redundants, place a unit load successively at each
of the points selected in step 2; and for each position of the unit load, apply the method of
consistent deformations to compute the values of the redundants. Plot the values of the
redundant thus obtained as ordinates against the position of the unit load as abscissa, to
construct the influence lines for the redundants. (Evaluation of the deflections involved in
 the compatibility equations can be considerably expedited by the application of
Maxwell’s law of reciprocal deflections.
4. Once the influence lines for the redundants have been determined, the influence lines for
the other force and/or moment response functions of the structure can be obtained
through equilibrium considerations.

Qualitative Influence Lines by Muller-Breslau’s Principle

In many practical applications, such as when designing continuous beams or building frames
subjected to uniformly distributed live loads, it is usually sufficient to draw only the qualitative
influence lines to decide where to place the live loads to maximize the response functions of
interest. As in the case of statically determinate structures, Muller-Breslau’s principle provides a
convenient means of establishing qualitative influence lines for indeterminate structures.

Muller-Breslau’s principle can be stated as follows:

The influence line for a force (or moment) response function is given by the deflected shape of
the released structure obtained by removing the restraint corresponding to the response function
from the original structure and by giving the released structure a unit displacement (or rotation)
at the location and in the direction of the response function, so that only the response function
and the unit load perform external work.

The procedure for constructing qualitative influence lines for indeterminate structures is the same
as that for determinate structures. The procedure essentially involves:
1. Remove from the given structure the restraint corresponding to the response function of
interest to obtain the released structure
2. Apply a small displacement (or rotation) to the released structure at the location and in
the positive direction of the response function
3. Draw a deflected shape of the released structure consistent with its support and continuity
conditions.
The influence lines for indeterminate structures are generally curved lines. Once a qualitative
influence line for a structural response function has been constructed, it can be used to decide
where to place the live loads to maximize the value of the response function.
The value of a response function due to a uniformly distributed live load is maximum positive
(or negative) when the load is placed over those portions of the structure where the ordinates of
the response function influence line are positive (or negative).
Because the influence-line ordinates tend to diminish rapidly with distance from the point of
application of the response function, live loads placed more than three span lengths away from
the location of the response function generally have a negligible effect on the value of the
response function. With the live-load pattern known, an indeterminate analysis of the structure
can be performed to determine the maximum value of the response function.