Section 9.

3 Condensation of Degrees of Freedom, and Substructuring 515

Condensation
The objective of condensation is to reduce the number of independent degrees
of freedom of a structure (or substructure, or member). This is achieved by
treating some of the degrees of freedom as dependent variables and expressing
them in terms of the remaining independent degrees of freedom. The relation-
ship between the dependent and independent degrees of freedom is then sub-
stituted into the original stiffness relations to obtain a condensed system of
stiffness equations, which contains only the independent degrees of freedom as
unknowns. From a theoretical viewpoint, the dependent degrees of freedom
can be chosen arbitrarily. However, for computational purposes, it is usually
convenient to select those degrees of freedom that are internal to the structure
(or substructure, or member) as the dependent degrees of freedom. Hence, the
dependent degrees of freedom are commonly referred to as the internal de-
grees of freedom; whereas, the independent degrees of freedom are called the
external degrees of freedom.
As discussed in the preceding chapters, the stiffness relations for a general
framed structure can be expressed as (see, for example, Eq. (6.42))
P = Sd (9.11)
with

P = P Pf (9.12)
When using the condensation process, it is usually convenient to assign num-
bers to the degrees of freedom so that the external and internal degrees of free-
dom are separated into two groups. The structure stiffness relations (Eq. (9.11))
can then be written in partitioned-matrix form:
    
PE S E E S E I dE
= (9.13)
PI S I E S I I dI

in which the subscripts E and I refer to quantities related to the external and
internal degrees of freedom, respectively. By multiplying the two partitioned
matrices on the right side of Eq. (9.13), we obtain the two matrix equations,
PE = SE E dE + SE I dI (9.14)
PI = SI E dE + SI I dI (9.15)
To express the internal degrees of freedom dI in terms of the external degrees
of freedom dE, we solve Eq. (9.15) for dI, as

d I = S1
I I (P I S I E d E ) (9.16)

Finally, by substituting Eq. (9.16) into Eq. (9.14), we obtain the condensed
stiffness equations
P E S E I S1 1
I I P I = (S E E S E I S I I S I E )d E (9.17)

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 516 Chapter 9 Special Topics and Modeling Techniques

Note that the external degrees of freedom dE are the only unknowns in
Eq. (9.17). Equation (9.17) can be rewritten in a compact form as

PE = SE E d E (9.18)

in which,

PE = P E S E I S1
I I PI (9.19)

and

SE E = S E E S E I S1
I I SI E (9.20)

As the foregoing equations indicate, the solution of the structure stiffness

equations is carried out in two parts. In the rst part, PE and SE E are evaluated
using Eqs. (9.19) and (9.20), respectively, and the external joint displacements
dE are determined by solving Eq. (9.18). In the second part, the now-known dE
is substituted into Eq. (9.16) to obtain the internal joint displacements dI. Once
all the joint displacements have been evaluated, the member end displacements
and end forces, and support reactions, can be calculated using the procedures
described in the previous chapters.
It should be realized that analysis involving condensation generally re-
quires more computational effort than the standard formulation in which all of
the structures stiffness equations are solved simultaneously. However,
condensation provides a useful means of analyzing large structures whose full
stiffness matrices and load vectors exceed the available computer memory. This
is because, when employing condensation, only parts of S and P need to be as-
sembled and processed in the computer memory at a given time. The basic con-
cept of condensation is illustrated by the following relatively simple example.

EXAMPLE 9.3 Analyze the plane frame shown in Fig. 9.6(a) using condensation, by treating the
rotation of the free joint as the internal degree of freedom.

SOLUTION This frame was analyzed in Example 6.6 using the standard formulation. The
analytical model of the structure is given in Fig. 9.6(b).
Condensed Structure Stiffness Matrix: The full (3 3) stiffness matrix, S, for the
frame, as determined in Example 6.6, is given by (in units of kips and inches):

1 2 3

1,685.3 507.89 670.08 1
S = 507.89 1,029.2
601.42 2 (1)
670.08 601.42 283,848 3

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 Section 9.3 Condensation of Degrees of Freedom, and Substructuring 517

125 k-ft 1.5 k/ft

10 ft
90 k

10 ft

10 ft 20 ft
E, A, I = constant
E = 29,000 ksi
A = 11.8 in.2
I = 310 in.4
(a) Frame
2
Y
3 9

1 7
2 2 3

8
1

1
4 X
6

5
(b) Analytical Model

Fig. 9.6

in which S is partitioned to separate the external degrees of freedom, 1 and 2, from the
internal degree of freedom, 3. From Eq. (1), we obtain

1 2

1,685.3 507.89 1
SE E = (2)
507.89 1,029.2 2
1 2


S I E = 670.08 601.42 3 (3)

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 518 Chapter 9 Special Topics and Modeling Techniques

3

670.08 1
SE I = (4)
601.42 2
3
S I I = [283,848] 3 (5)
with the inverse of SII given by

1
S1
II = (6)
283,848
By substituting Eqs. (2), (3), (4), and (6) into Eq. (9.20), we obtain the condensed
structure stiffness matrix:

1,683.7 506.47
SE E = S E E S E I S1
I I SI E = k/in. (7)
506.47 1,027.9
Condensed Joint Load Vector: Recall from Example 6.6 that

0 1
P = P P f = 60 2 (8)

750 3
from which,

0 1
PE = (9)
60 2
and
P I = [750] 3 (10)

Substitution of Eqs. (4), (6), (9), and (10) into Eq. (9.19) yields the following con-
densed joint load vector.

1.7705
PE = P E S E I S1
I I PI = k (11)
58.411
Joint Displacements: By substituting Eqs. (7) and (11) into the condensed structure
stiffness relationship, PE = SE E d E (Eq. (9.18)), and solving the resulting 2 2 sys-
tem of simultaneous equations, we obtain the external joint displacements (corre-
sponding to degrees of freedom 1 and 2), as

0.021302 1
dE = in. (12)
0.06732 2
The internal joint displacement (i.e., the rotation corresponding to degree of freedom 3),
can now be determined by applying Eq. (9.16). Thus,

d I = S1
I I (P I S I E d E ) = [0.0025499]3 rad
(13)
By combining Eqs. (12) and (13), we obtain the full joint displacement vector,

 0.021302 in. 1
dE
d = = 0.06732 in. 2 Ans
dI
0.0025499 rad 3
Note that the foregoing joint displacements are identical to those determined in
Example 6.6 by solving the structures three stiffness equations simultaneously.

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 Section 9.3 Condensation of Degrees of Freedom, and Substructuring 519

Member End Displacements and End Forces: See Example 6.6.

It is important to realize that, in this example, the submatrices of S and P were
obtained from the corresponding full matrices, for convenience only. In actual com-
puter analysis, to save memory space, the individual parts of S and P are assembled
directly from the corresponding member matrices as they are needed in the analysis.

In the foregoing paragraphs, we have discussed the application of conden-

sation to reduce the number of independent degrees of freedom of an entire
structure. The condensation process is also frequently used to establish the
stiffness relationships for substructures, which are dened as groups of mem-
bers with known stiffness relations. In this case, condensation is used to elimi-
nate the degrees of freedom of those joints that are internal to the substructure,
thereby producing a condensed system of stiffness relations expressed solely in
terms of the degrees of freedom of those (external) joints through which the
substructure is connected to the rest of the structure and/or supports.
The procedure for condensing the internal degrees of freedom of a sub-
structure is analogous to that just discussed for the case of a whole structure.
The stiffness relations involving both the internal and external degrees of free-
dom of a substructure can be symbolically expressed as
F = Kv + F f (9.21)
in which F and v represent, respectively, the joint forces and displacements for
the substructure; K denotes the substructure stiffness matrix; and F f represents
the xed-joint forces for the substructure. The matrix K and the vector F f can
be assembled from the member stiffness matrices and xed-end force vectors
in the usual way. To apply condensation, we rewrite Eq. (9.21) in partitioned-
matrix form as
      
FE K E E K E I v E Ff E
= + (9.22)
FI KI E KI I v I Ff I
The multiplication of the two partitioned matrices on the right-hand side of
Eq. (9.22) yields the matrix equations
F E = K E E v E + K E I v I + F f E (9.23)
F I = K I E v E + K I I v I + F f I (9.24)
Solving Eq. (9.24) for v I , we obtain

1
v I = K I I (F I F f I K I E v E ) (9.25)

and, substituting Eq. (9.25) into Eq. (9.23), we determine the condensed stiff-
ness relations for the substructure to be

F E = K E E v E + F f E (9.26)

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 520 Chapter 9 Special Topics and Modeling Techniques

in which,

1
KE E = KE E KE I KI I KI E (9.27)

and

1 
F f E = F f E + KE I KI I FI F f I (9.28)

EXAMPLE 9.4 Determine the stiffness matrix and the xed-joint force vector for the substructure of
a beam shown in Fig. 9.7(a), in terms of its external degrees of freedom only. The
substructure is composed of two members connected together by a hinged joint, as
shown in the gure.
SOLUTION Analytical Model: The analytical model of the substructure is depicted in Fig. 9.7(b).
For member 1, MT = 2, because the end of this member is hinged; MT = 1 for member
2, which is hinged at its beginning. Joint 3 is modeled as a hinged joint with its
rotation restrained by an imaginary clamp. Thus, the substructure has a total of ve
degrees of freedom, of which four are external (identied by numbers 1 through 4)
and one is internal (identied by number 5).
Substructure Stiffness Matrix: We will rst assemble the full (5 5) stiffness matrix
K from the member stiffness matrices k, and then apply Eq. (9.27) to determine the

condensed stiffness matrix K E E .

Hinge

L1 L2

E, I = constant
(a) Substructure

Y
5

1 3
4
1 3 2
X
6
1 2
2
(b) Analytical Model
Fig. 9.7

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 Section 9.3 Condensation of Degrees of Freedom, and Substructuring 521

2 31 4 5

1 1 1
3 0 0 3 1
L1 L12 L1


1 1 1
2 0 0 2 2
L L L
  1 1

1

KEE KEI 1 1 1
K = = 3E I
0 0 2
3

5L 1 1
KIE KII L 3 L L 3
 

2 2

2
L 21 2
1 1 1 Ff E w

3
0 4 Ff = = 5L 2
0 2 L2 L2 2 Ff I 8



L2 L 2 2 4

1


1

1 1 1
+
1
5 3L 1 + 3L 2 5
L 31 L 21 L 32 L 22 L 31 L 32 (d) Full (Uncondensed) Fixed-Joint
(c) Full (Uncondensed) Stiffness Matrix for Substructure Force Vector For Substructure
Fig. 9.7 (continued )
Member 1 (MT = 2) Using Eq. (7.18), we obtain
1 2 5 6

1 L1 1 0 1
3E I L1 L 21 L 1 02
k1 =
L 31 1 L 1 1 0 5
0 0 0 0 6
Member 2 (MT = 1) Application of Eq. (7.15) yields
5 6 3 4

1 0 1 L2 5
3E I 0 0 0 0 6
k2 =
L 32 1 0 1 L 2 3
L2 0 L 2 L 22 4
U sing the code num bersofthe m em bers,w e store the pertinentelem entsofk1 andk2
in the full5 5 stiffness m atrix K ofthe substructure,as show n in Fig.9.7(c).
Substituting into Eq.(9.27) the appropriate subm atrices of K from Fig.9.7(c)
and

1 L 31 L 32
K II = (1)
3E I(L 31 + L 32)
w e obtain the condensed stiffness m atrix forthe substructure:

1 L 1 1 L2
1 3E I L1 L 21 L 1

L1L2
K E E = K E E K E IK II K IE = 3 (2)
L 1 + L 32 1 L 1 1 L 2
L 2 L 1 L 2 L 2 2
L2
Ans
Substructure Fixed-JointForce Vector:
M em ber 1 (M T = 2) U sing Eq.(7.19),w e obtain

5 1
wL 1
L1 2
Q f1 =
8 3 5
0 6

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 522 Chapter 9 Special Topics and Modeling Techniques

Member 2 (MT = 1) Using Eq. (7.16), we write

3 5
wL2 0

6
Qf 2 =
8 5 3
L 2 4
The relevant elements of Q f 1 and Q f 2 are stored in the full 5 1 xed-joint force vec-
tor F f of the substructure, as shown in Fig. 9.7(d).
A comparison of Figs. 9.7(a) and (b) indicates that F 5 = W ; that is,

F I = [ F 5 ] = [W ] (3)

Finally, the application of Eq. (9.28) yields the following condensed xed-joint
force vector for the substructure.
1
F f E = F f E + K E I K I I (F I F f I )

5 L 41 + 8 L 1 L 32 + 3 L 42 L 32
w
L 51 + 4 L 21 L 32 + 3 L 1 L 42 W L 1 L 32
= 3 (4) Ans
8( L 1 + L 2 )
3 3 L 1 + 8 L 1 L 2 + 5 L 2 L 31 + L 32
4 3 4 L 1
3

(3 L 41 L 2 + 4 L 31 L 22 + L 52 ) L 31 L 2

Analysis Using Substructures

The procedure for the analysis of (large) structures, divided into substructures,
is essentially the same as the standard stiffness method developed in previous
chapters. However, each substructure is treated as an ordinary member of the
structure, and the degrees of freedom of only those joints through which the
substructures are connected to each other and/or to supports are considered to
be the structures degrees of freedom d. The structures stiffness matrix S and
xed-joint force vector Pf, are assembled, respectively, from the substructure

stiffness matrices K E E and xed-joint force vectors F f E , which are expressed
in terms of the external coordinates of the substructures only. The structure
stiffness equations, P Pf = Sd, thus obtained, can then be solved for the
joint displacements d.
Consider, for example, the nine-story plane frame shown in Fig. 9.8(a). The
frame actually has 20 joints and 54 degrees of freedom; that is, if we were to an-
alyze the frame using the standard stiffness method for plane frames as devel-
oped in Chapter 6, we would have to assemble and solve 54 structure stiffness
equations simultaneously. Now, suppose that we wish to analyze the frame by
dividing it into three substructures, each consisting of three stories of the frame,
as depicted in Fig. 9.8(b). As this gure indicates, for analysis purposes, the
frame is now modeled as having only six joints, at which the three substructures
are connected to each other and to external supports. Thus, the analytical model
of the frame has 12 degrees of freedom and six restrained coordinates.
To develop the stiffness matrix S and the xed-joint force vector Pf for the

frame, we rst determine the substructure stiffness matrices K E E and xed-joint

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