TRUSSES
Trusses are structures made of up
slender members, connected at joints which can be approximated to pinned
connections. It is typically assumed that loads are applied to the joints of
the truss, not directly to the members. Because of this, the members only carry
axial forces - they do not carry bending moments. The internal force in each
member is constant, and a member can be either in tension or in compression. It
is important for engineers to be able to determine the axial force in the
members of a truss, so that they can be designed appropriately. In this video I
cover the two main methods for doing this, which are the Method of Joints and
the Method of Sections. The Method of Joints involves applying the equilibrium
equations to solve the internal forces acting on every joint within the truss. The
Method of Sections involves creating an imaginary cut through the members of
interest, and applying the equilibrium equations to the external and internal
forces.
