ANALYSIS OF RIGID JOINTED PLANE TRUSS STRUCTURES USING FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES

ABSTRACT

Analysis of plane truss structures based on the assumptions that (1) members are connected at joints by frictionless pins and (2) loads are applied at joints only have become a norm not minding the facts that our practical trusses are always constructed by connecting members to gusset plates by welds, rivets, or high-strength bolts and loads may not necessarily be applied only at the nodes, have made such assumptions not to yield quite precise results. By the nature of practical nodes connections, joints in our trusses are rigid and not frictionless pins and as such analyzing plane trusses as rigidly connected nodes yields more precise results. This project aims at studying plane truss analysis with rigid joints as compared to frictionless pin joints in both static and dynamic (modal) forms. Finite element analysis techniques using stiffness method as its basis for formulating stiffness and mass matrices are to be employed in the analysis. Computer program using MATLAB codes will be developed to aid the analysis.