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Influence Lines and Applications

The document discusses influence lines and their application in analyzing statically determinate structures subjected to variable loads. It explains that influence lines show the response of a structure, such as member forces in a truss, as a function of the load position. They are used to determine the maximum response by finding where the influence line reaches its peak value. The example given is of a simply supported beam with a moving unit load, and constructing influence lines for the beam's reactions, shear, and bending moment.

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160 views14 pages

Influence Lines and Applications

The document discusses influence lines and their application in analyzing statically determinate structures subjected to variable loads. It explains that influence lines show the response of a structure, such as member forces in a truss, as a function of the load position. They are used to determine the maximum response by finding where the influence line reaches its peak value. The example given is of a simply supported beam with a moving unit load, and constructing influence lines for the beam's reactions, shear, and bending moment.

Uploaded by

john snow
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INFLUENCE LINES AND APPLICATIONS

Structures generally are also subjected to loads (such as live loads and environmental loads) whose positions may vary
on the structure. In this chapter, we study the analysis of statically determinate structures subjected to variable loads.
Consider, as an example, the bridge truss shown below. As a car moves across the bridge, the forces in the members of
the truss will vary with the position 𝑥 of the car. It should be realized that the forces in different truss members will
become maximum at different positions of the car. For example, if the force in member AB becomes maximum when
the car is at a certain position .𝑥 = 𝑥1 |, then the force in another member—for example, member CH may become
maximum when the car is at a different position .𝑥 = 𝑥2 . The design of each member of the truss must be based on the
maximum force that develops in that member as the car moves across the bridge. Therefore, the analysis of the truss
would involve, for each member, determining the position of the car at which the force in the member becomes
maximum and then computing the value of the maximum member force.

From the foregoing discussion, we can see that the analysis of structures for variable loads consists of two steps: (1)
determining the position(s) of the load(s) at which the response function of interest (e.g. a reaction, shear or bending
moment at a section of a beam, or force in a truss member) becomes maximum, and (2) computing the maximum value
of the response function.
An important concept used in the analysis of structures subjected to variable loads is that of the influence lines,
initially introduced by E. Winkler in 1867. 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.

INFLUENCE LINES FOR BEAMS AND FRAMES BY EQUILIBRIUM METHOD

Consider the simply supported beam shown in Fig. 8.2(a). The beam is subjected to a downward concentrated load of
unit magnitude, which moves from the left end A of the beam to the right end C. The position of the unit load is defined
by the coordinate 𝑥 measured from the left end A of the beam, as shown in the figure. Suppose that we wish to draw the
influence lines for the vertical reactions at supports A and C and the shear and bending moment at point B. which is
located at a distance a from the left end of the beam, as shown in the figure.

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