CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

Manhattan College
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
CIVL 302-01: Structural Analysis I
Fall 2014

Structural Analysis Project

CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

6 kips

4 feet

A
D

3 feet

3 feet

Cross-Section:

6 inches

6 inches
The above figure is a section of a Warren truss, with verticals, as shown:

CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

Warren trusses are ideally used for prefabricated modular bridges. Thus, the structure
would be used as component in bridge construction. In this particular example, it will be
assumed that this truss is a component of a pedestrian bridge. Moreover, it will be assumed that
the section of the truss of interest takes a load of 6 kips. The truss will be analyzed under the
assumption that the truss is simply supported; the truss is pinned at point A and supported by a
roller at point C, so there are three possible external reactions. Four boundary conditions are
able to be determined. The deflection at both A and C is equal to zero. Moreover, since trusses
are composed of axial members, the slopes at both A and C are equal to zero. The bottom two
members are each three feet in length and the truss is four feet high; therefore, the diagonal
members are five feet long. This particular truss is made out of steel, so the elastic modulus is
29,000 pounds per square inch. Furthermore, the cross-sections of all of the members are the
same; each member has a square cross-section with side lengths of six inches. Consequently, the
cross-sectional area of each member is 36 square inches. For this truss, the area of concern is
point D, where the deflection will be calculated using both the Principle of Virtual Work method
as well as using the software package, SAP2000. The results from the two methods will be
compared.

CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

Analysis of Original Structure:

6 kips

4 feet

A
D

3 feet

3 feet

External Reactions:

M A =( 63 )( C y6 )=0 C y =3 kips
F y = A y6+3=0 A y=3 kips
F x = A x =0 A x =0 kips
Joint A:
AB
AD
3 kips

F y=3AB ( 45 )=0 AB=3.75 kips( Compression)

F x =3.75( 35 )+ AD=0 AD =2.25 kips(Tension)

CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

Joint D:
DB
2.25 kips
DC

F y=DB=0 DB=0 kips

F x =2.25+ DC =0 DC =2.25 kips(Tension)

Joint C:
CB
2.25 kips

3 kips

F y=3CB ( 45 )=0 CB=3.75 kips(Compression)

Mem
ber
AB
AD
DB
DC
CB

Force(k
ips)
-3.75
+2.25
0
+2.25
-3.75

CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

Analysis of Structure with Applied Virtual Load:

4 feet

A
D
1 kip
3 feet

3 feet

External Reactions:

M A =( 13 )( C y6 ) =0 C y =0.5 kips
F y= A y1+ 0.5=0 A y =0.5 kips
F x = A x =0 A x =0 kips
Joint A:
AB
AD
0.5 kips

CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

F y =0.5AB ( 45 )=0 AB=0.625 kips(Compression)

F x=0.625( 35 )+ AD=0 AD =0.375 kips(Tension)

Joint D:
DB
0.375 kips
DC
0.5 kips

F y=0.5+ DB=0 DB=0.5 kips(Tension)

F x =0.375+ DC =0 DC =0.375 kips(Tension)

Joint C:
CB
0.375 kips

0.5 kips

F y =0.5CB ( 45 )=0 CB=0.625 kips(Compression)

Mem
ber
AB
AD
DB
DC
CB

Force(k
ips)
-0.625
+0.375
+0.5
+0.375
-0.625

CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

Analysis Using the Principle of Virtual Work:

1 kip D =

nNL
AE

29000lb
2
144
2
lb

E=
=4176000 2
2
ft
ft

21 ft 2
A=66 36
=0.25 ft 2
2
144

Member
AB
AD
DB
DC
CB

N (k)
-3.75
+2.25
0
+2.25
-3.75

n (k)
-0.625
+0.375
+0.5
+0.375
-0.625

L (ft)
5
3
4
3
5

A (ft )
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.25

E (psf)
4176000
4176000
4176000
4176000
4176000

nNL
=2.73105 ( ftkip)
AE

nNL/AE
(ft*k)
1.122E-05
2.425E-06
0
2.425E-06
1.122E-05

CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

1 kip D =2.73105 (ftkip)

12 =3.276104
1 ft
D =2.73105 ft
D =3.276104 Downwards

SAP2000 Analysis:
Deflection at D: -0.000026 in
Force in Members AB and CB: 3.67 kips (Compression)
Force in Members AD and DC: 2.20 kips (Tension)
When performing the structural analysis using the computer program, SAP2000, the final
result regarding the deflection at point D can be considered to be appropriately similar to the
results obtained when the analysis was performed using the Principle of Virtual Work, since the
percent difference between the results from the two methods is only about five percent.
12 =0.000312
ft
D=0.000026 ft
D =0.000312Downwards

Percent Difference ( )=

|0.0003120.0003276|
0.000312

100=5

CIVL 302: Structural Analysis I

Moreover, the difference between the individual member forces calculated through truss analysis
and those calculated using the SAP2000 program are also certainly within a reasonable percent
difference of about two percent.
Members ABCB Percent Difference ( )=

|3.673.75|

Members ADDC Percent Difference ( )=

3.67

100=2

|2.202.25|
2.20

100=2

Thus, as one may observe, the method using the Principle of Virtual Work can certainly predict
deformation at a specific location very effectively. Furthermore, the work in SAP2000
confirmed that the original truss analysis performed was accurate. Therefore, it can be said that
SAP2000 is a very effective program since it is able to calculate both the loading and all of the
deflections with one analysis rather than the several analyses that would have been required to
calculate deflections at all joints.