Approximate Analysis of Statically Indeterminate Structures - Examples

These examples emphasize the assumptions behind each approximation and use equilibrium to recover force patterns. The same force pattern should be checked against geometry and expected behavior before it is accepted.

Example 1: Story Shear from Applied Lateral Loads

A three-story frame has lateral loads of 15 kN15\text{ kN} at the roof, 25 kN25\text{ kN} at the third floor, and 30 kN30\text{ kN} at the second floor. Find the story shear in the first story.

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Example 2: Portal Distribution in a Two-Bay Frame

A one-story, two-bay regular frame has two exterior columns and one interior column. Total story shear is 40 kN40\text{ kN}. Under the classical 1:2:11:2:1 portal shear assumption, find the column shears.

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Example 3: Column End Moment from a Mid-Height Inflection Point

An exterior column in a portal-method model carries shear V=12 kNV=12\text{ kN} and has story height h=4.0 mh=4.0\text{ m}. Assuming an inflection point at mid-height, find the magnitude of the end moment.

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Example 4: First- and Second-Story Portal Shears

A two-story one-bay frame carries 20 kN20\text{ kN} at the roof and 40 kN40\text{ kN} at the second floor. Under a symmetric portal assumption, determine each column shear in each story.

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Example 5: Portal-Method Applicability Check

A frame has one transfer story with a very deep transfer girder, a sudden reduction in column count, and unequal bay widths. Should the standard 1:2:11:2:1 portal shear rule be treated as a reliable primary analysis?

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Example 6: Cantilever-Method Centroid of Equal Columns

Three equal-area columns are located at x=0x=0, 66, and 14 m14\text{ m}. Find the centroidal axis location.

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Example 7: Cantilever-Method Axial Force Distribution

Using the column group from Example 6, let the overturning moment at the story cut be M=600 kN⋅mM=600\text{ kN}\cdot\text{m} and all column areas be equal. Determine the column axial forces from Pi=Mxi/∑xj2P_i=Mx_i/\sum x_j^2, where xix_i is measured from the centroid.

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Example 8: Unequal Column Areas in the Cantilever Method

Columns at x=0x=0, 66, and 14 m14\text{ m} have relative areas AA, 2A2A, and AA. Find the column-group centroid.

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Example 9: Assumed Midspan Girder Inflection Point

A portal-method girder span is 8.0 m8.0\text{ m}. Under the adopted lateral-load approximation, locate the assumed zero-moment point.

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Example 10: Comparing Approximate and Rigorous Results

A portal hand check gives a first-story interior column shear of 22 kN22\text{ kN}, while a verified elastic frame model gives 25 kN25\text{ kN}. Compute the percent difference relative to the rigorous model.

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Example 11: Choosing Portal versus Cantilever Behavior

Two frames have the same eight-story height. Frame A is wide with many comparable bays and strong floor diaphragms; Frame B is very slender and its lateral response is dominated by overturning with large axial-force variation in exterior columns. Which classical approximation is more behaviorally aligned with each frame?

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