Frame Element Stiness Matrices

CEE 421L. Matrix Structural Analysis

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Duke University
Henri P. Gavin
Fall, 2014
Truss elements carry axial forces only. Beam elements carry shear forces
and bending moments. Frame elements carry shear forces, bending moments,
and axial forces. This document picks up with the previously-derived truss
and beam element stiness matrices in local element coordinates and proceeds
through frame element stiness matrices in global coordinates.
1 Frame Element Stiness Matrix in Local Coordinates, k
A frame element is a combination of a truss element and a beam element.
The forces and displacements in the local axial direction are independent of the
shear forces and bending moments.
_

_
N
1
V
1
M
1
N
2
V
2
M
2
_

_
=
_

_
q
1
q
2
q
3
q
4
q
5
q
6
_

_
=
_

_
EA
L
0
12EI
L
3
sym
0
6EI
L
2
4EI
L

EA
L
0 0
EA
L
0
12EI
L
3

6EI
L
2
0
12EI
L
3
0
6EI
L
2
2EI
L
0
6EI
L
2
4EI
L
_

_
_

_
u
1
u
2
u
3
u
4
u
5
u
6
_

_
2 CEE 421L. Matrix Structural Analysis Duke University Fall 2014 H.P. Gavin
2 Relationships between Local Coordinates and Global Coordinates: T
The geometric relationship between local displacements, u, and global dis-
placements, v, is
u
1
= v
1
cos + v
2
sin u
2
= v
1
sin + v
2
cos u
3
= v
3
or, u = T v.
The equilibrium relationship between local forces, q, and global forces, f ,
is
q
1
= f
1
cos + f
2
sin q
2
= f
1
sin + f
2
cos q
3
= f
3
or, q = T f , where, in both cases,
T =
_

_
c s 0
s c 0 0
0 0 1
c s 0
0 s c 0
0 0 1
_

_
c = cos =
x
2
x
1
L
s = sin =
y
2
y
1
L
The coordinate transformation matrix, T, is orthogonal, T
1
= T
T
.
CC BY-NC-ND H.P. Gavin
Frame Element Stiness Matrices 3
3 Frame Element Stiness Matrix in Global Coordinates: K
Combining the coordinate transformation relationships,
q = k u
T f = k T v
f = T
T
k T v
f = K v
which provides the force-deection relationships in global coordinates. The
stiness matrix in global coordinates is K = T
T
k T
K =
_

_
EA
L
c
2 EA
L
cs
EA
L
c
2

EA
L
cs
+
12EI
L
3
s
2

12EI
L
3
cs
6EI
L
2
s
12EI
L
3
s
2
+
12EI
L
3
cs
6EI
L
2
s
EA
L
s
2

EA
L
cs
EA
L
s
2
+
12EI
L
3
c
2 6EI
L
2
c +
12EI
L
3
cs
12EI
L
3
c
2 6EI
L
2
c
4EI
L
6EI
L
2
s
6EI
L
2
c
2EI
L
EA
L
c
2 EA
L
cs
+
12EI
L
3
s
2

12EI
L
3
cs
6EI
L
2
s
sym
EA
L
s
2
+
12EI
L
3
c
2

6EI
L
2
c
4EI
L
_

_
CC BY-NC-ND H.P. Gavin
4 CEE 421L. Matrix Structural Analysis Duke University Fall 2014 H.P. Gavin
4 Frame Element Stiness Matrices for Elements with End-Releases
Some elements in a frame may not be xed at both ends. For example,
an element may be xed at one end and pinned at the other. Or, the element
may be guided on one end so that the element shear forces at that end are zero.
Or, the frame element may be pinned at both ends, so that it acts like a truss
element. Such modications to the frame element naturally aect the elements
stiness matrix.
Consider a frame element in which a set of end-coordinates r are released,
and the goal is to nd a stiness matrix relation for the primary p retained
coordinates. The element end forces at the released coordinates, q
r
are all zero.
One can partition the element stiness matrix equation as follows
_
_
q
p
q
r
_
_
_
_
k
pp
k
pr
k
rp
k
rr
_
_
_
_
u
p
u
r
_
_
The element displacement coordinates at the released coordinates do not equal
the structural displacements at the collocated structural coordinates, since the
coordinates r are released. Since the element end forces at the released coor-
dinates are all zero (q
r
= 0), the element end displacements at the released
coordinates must be related to the displacements at the primary (retained)
coordinates as:
u
r
= k
1
rr
k
rp
u
p
The element end forces at the primary coordinates The element stiness matrix
equation relating q
p
and u
p
is
q
p
=
_
k
pp
k
pr
k
1
rr
k
rp
_
u
p
The rows and columns of the released element stiness matrix corresponding
to the released coordinates, r, are set to zero. The rows and columns of the
released element stiness matrix corresponding to the retained coordinates, p,
are [k
pp
k
pr
k
1
rr
k
rp
]. This is the element stiness matrix that should assemble
into the structural coordinates collocated with the primary (retained) coordi-
nates p. The following sections give examples for pinned-xed and xed-pinned
frame elements. Element stiness matrices for many other end-release cases
can be easily computed.
CC BY-NC-ND H.P. Gavin
Frame Element Stiness Matrices 5
4.1 Pinned-Fixed Frame Element in Local Coordinates, k . . . (r = 3)
k =
_

_
EA
L
0 0
EA
L
0 0
3EI
L
3
0 0
3EI
L
3
3EI
L
2
0 0 0 0
EA
L
0 0
sym
3EI
L
3

3EI
L
2
3EI
L
_

_
4.2 Pinned-Fixed Frame Element in Global Coordinates, K = T
T
kT
K =
_

_
EA
L
c
2 EA
L
cs 0
EA
L
c
2

EA
L
cs
3EI
L
2
s
+
3EI
L
3
s
2

3EI
L
3
cs
3EI
L
3
s
2
+
3EI
L
3
cs
EA
L
s
2
0
EA
L
cs
EA
L
s
2 3EI
L
2
c
+
3EI
L
3
c
2
+
3EI
L
3
cs
3EI
L
3
c
2
0 0 0 0
EA
L
c
2 EA
L
cs
EI
L
2
s
+
3EI
L
3
s
2

3EI
L
3
cs
sym
EA
L
s
2

3EI
L
2
c
3EI
L
3
c
2
3EI
L
_

_
CC BY-NC-ND H.P. Gavin
6 CEE 421L. Matrix Structural Analysis Duke University Fall 2014 H.P. Gavin
4.3 Fixed-Pinned Frame Element in Local Coordinates, k . . . (r = 6)
k =
_

_
EA
L
0 0
EA
L
0 0
3EI
L
3
3EI
L
2
0
3EI
L
3
0
3EI
L
0
3EI
L
2
0
EA
L
0 0
sym
3EI
L
3
0
0
_

_
4.4 Fixed-Pinned Frame Element in Global Coordinates, K = T
T
kT
K =
_

_
EA
L
c
2 EA
L
cs
3EI
L
2
s
EA
L
c
2

EA
L
cs 0
+
3EI
L
3
s
2

3EI
L
3
cs
3EI
L
3
s
2
+
3EI
L
3
cs
EA
L
s
2 3EI
L
2
c
EA
L
cs
EA
L
s
2
0
+
3EI
L
3
c
2
+
3EI
L
3
cs
3EI
L
3
c
2
3EI
L
3EI
L
2
s
3EI
L
2
c 0
EA
L
c
2 EA
L
cs 0
+
3EI
L
3
s
2

3EI
L
3
cs
sym
EA
L
s
2
0
+
3EI
L
3
c
2
0
_

_
CC BY-NC-ND H.P. Gavin
Frame Element Stiness Matrices 7
5 Notation
u = Element deection vector in the Local coordinate system
q = Element force vector in the Local coordinate system
k = Element stiness matrix in the Local coordinate system
... q = k u
T = Coordinate Transformation Matrix
... T
1
= T
T
v = Element deection vector in the Global coordinate system
... u = T v
f = Element force vector in the Global coordinate system
... q = T f
K = Element stiness matrix in the Global coordinate system
... K = T
T
k T
d = Structural deection vector in the Global coordinate system
p = Structural load vector in the Global coordinate system
K
s
= Structural stiness matrix in the Global coordinate system
... p = K
s
d
Local Global
Element Deection u v
Element Force q f
Element Stiness k K
Structural Deection - d
Structural Loads - p
Structural Stiness - K
s
For frame element stiness matrices including shear deformations, see:
J.S. Przemieniecki, Theory of Matrix Structural Analysis, Dover Press, 1985.
(... a steal at $12.95)
CC BY-NC-ND H.P. Gavin