Chapter # 7
Indeterminate Structures
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Objectives and Outline
• Know the advantages and disadvantages of statically
indeterminate structures, as compared to statically
determinate structures
• Understand why the analysis of statically indeterminate
structures is harder than the analysis of statically
determinate structures
• Understand the concepts of equilibrium, compatibility,
flexibility and stiffness
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Indeterminate Structures
• A structure is said to be statically indeterminate when the
number of unknowns in it are more than the number of
available equations of equilibrium
• An indeterminate structure cannot be analyzed that is the
unknown reactions cannot be determined using the
equations of equilibrium (E-o-E). Other relationships such as
force-deformation or deflection needs to be used to
analyze indeterminate structures.
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Advantages of Indeterminate Structures
• Statically indeterminate structures generally develop lower
maximum stresses and deform less than comparable
statically determinate structures
Determinate Beam Indeterminate Beam
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Advantages of Indeterminate Structures
Determinate Beam Indeterminate Beam
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Advantages of Indeterminate Structures
• Statically indeterminate structures often have redundancies
• If a part in an indeterminate structure fails, the structure may
still be stable
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Disadvantages of Indeterminate Structures
• Support settlements may cause stresses in statically indeterminate
structures, unlike in statically determinate structures
• If a support moves, it may cause a member to bend
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Disadvantages of Indeterminate Structures
• Temperature changes and fabrication errors may cause stresses in
statically indeterminate structures
• In a determinate structure, the members are free to elongate or
contract slightly
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Analysis of Indeterminate Structures
• The analysis of any structure requires the use of three types
of relationships
Equilibrium equations
Compatibility conditions
Member force-deformation relations
• Equilibrium equations relate the forces on the structure so
that the structure and its parts remain in equilibrium
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Analysis of Indeterminate Structures
• Compatibility conditions relate displacements to make
sure that the parts of the structure remain together
• Member force-deformation relations connect forces
and displacements in members using material and
cross-sectional properties
• For determinate structures, the equilibrium equations
may be solved first to determine reactions and
internal forces
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Analysis of Indeterminate Structures
• Force-deformation relations and compatibility conditions
are then used to determine displacements
• This process does not work for statically indeterminate
structures
• For statically indeterminate structures, the member force-
deformation relations should be solved to express the
forces in terms of displacements or vice-versa
• These relationships may then be substituted into the
continuity equations or the equilibrium equations
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Methods of Analysis of Indeterminate Structures
• Methods of analyzing indeterminate structures are broadly
classified as:
Force (Flexibility) Methods
Displacement (Stiffness) Methods
• Force methods are useful for dealing with small structures
and few redundant
• Displacement methods may be used to analyze large
structures
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Summary
• A statically indeterminate structure develops less stress and
deflects less than equivalent statically determinate
structures
• The analysis of statically indeterminate structures involves
using the member-force relations to solve for displacements
and forces in terms of each other
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Fundamental Concepts in
Structural Analysis
Equilibrium
A structure is said to be in equilibrium when it is initially
at rest and remains at rest as it is acted upon by a set
of forces
A body is in equilibrium when the equations of static
equilibrium are satisfied
In 2D:
σ 𝐹𝑥 = 0; σ 𝐹𝑦 = 0; σ 𝑀𝑧 = 0;
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Deformations, Displacements, Compatibility
If the material of our structure (body) in non-rigid
(deformable) then forces acting on the structure (body)
cause deformations
Structural deformations are controlled by the material
properties and by geometric constraints such as
boundary conditions or rigid links
Deformations: Magnitude and Direction
(i) Translation →↑ (ii) Rotation
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Deformations, Displacements, Compatibility
• Compatibility is a geometric requirement that deals with
the issue that the deformations in our structure must be
possible
• Deformations in one part of the structure are only possible
if other parts of the structure also suffer deformations
• Deformations must be geometrically possible
• Deformations have to conform to the boundary conditions
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Deformations, Displacements, Compatibility
Degree of Freedom refers to independent joint
displacement which could be either translation or
rotation
• Degrees of Freedom of a structure are necessary to
specify the deformed shape of the structure when
subjected to an arbitrary loading
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Stiffness and Flexibility
Stiffness
Force required to produce a unit displacement.
𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑃
𝑆𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝐾 = =
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 ∆ 19
Stiffness and Flexibility
Flexibility
Displacement caused by a unit force.
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 ∆
𝐹𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑓 = =
𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑃
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Stiffness and Flexibility
Also:
Stiffness: Moment required to produce a unit rotation
Flexibility: Rotation caused by a unit moment
Note: The above definitions only apply as long as we are
referring to the same location and direction
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Stiffness and Flexibility
Multi-Degree of Freedom System
Kij = force required at location
“i” to cause unit displacement
at location “j”
fij = displacement at location
“i” due to a unit force at
location “j”
i = location of interest
j = location of cause or action
Predetermined locations: n = 1, 2, 3, …….m 22
Stiffness and Flexibility
Multi-Degree of Freedom System
𝑃1
𝑃 3×1 = 𝑃2
𝑃3
𝐾11 𝐾12 𝐾13
𝐾 3×3 = 𝐾21 𝐾22 𝐾23
𝐾31 𝐾32 𝐾33
∆1
∆ 3×1 = ∆2
∆3
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Stiffness and Flexibility
Multi-Degree of Freedom System
𝑃1
𝑃 3×1 = 𝑃2 → 𝑃 is the Load Vector
𝑃3
𝐾11 𝐾12 𝐾13
𝐾 3×3 = 𝐾21 𝐾22 𝐾23 → 𝐾 is the Stiffness Matrix
𝐾31 𝐾32 𝐾33
∆1
∆ 3×1 = ∆2 → ∆ is the Displacement Vector
∆3
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Nomenclature of Nodes and Members
Consider a bar having a length “L”
1
1 2
1 → Member Number
1 and 2 → Node Numbers
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Revision of Concepts of Matrix Algebra
Matrix
• A matrix is a rectangular array of numbers arranged in rows and
columns; e.g. matrices A and B are shown below.
2 3 6 5 1
𝐴= 𝐵=
9 5 3 9 2
• Matrix-A has two rows and two columns.
• Hence the order of Matrix-A is 2 × 2
• Similarly the order of Matrix-B is 2 × 3
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Revision of Concepts of Matrix Algebra
• Addition of Matrices
• Subtraction of Matrices
• Multiplication of Matrices
• Compatibility of two matrices for
multiplication
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Inverse of a Matrix
Consider Matrix-A
2 3
𝐴=
9 5
5 −3
𝐴𝑑𝑗𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝐴 =
−9 2
𝐴 = 5 × 2 − −3 × −9 = −17
5 −3
𝐴𝑑𝑗 𝐴 −9 2 1 5 −3 −0.294 0.176
𝐴−1 = = = =
𝐴 −17 −17 −9 2 0.529 −0.117
−0.294 0.176
𝐴−1 =
0.529 −0.117 28
Inverse of a Matrix using Excel Sheet
Matrix inversion can also be carried out using Excel sheet
Refer example solved in Excel sheet for following matrix
−2 4 5
𝐴 = 1 −4 8
6 1 −9
0.094 0.138 0.175
𝐴−1 = 0.192 −0.040 0.071
0.084 0.088 0.013
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