Know that the horizontal force point due the real loads equal
Calculating horizontal deflection Homework Answers Needed
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Once the virtual load is applied, we need to calculate the virtual internal forces in all members of the truss. To do this, we can simply use the method of joints.
Next, we need to calculate the actual strain energy in each member of the truss due to the real loads. This can be done using the following formula:
EA is the axial rigidity of the member
Finally, we can apply the principle of virtual work, which states that the total virtual work done by all external forces on a structure is equal to the total internal strain energy of the structure. This can be expressed mathematically as follows:
U is the internal strain energy
In this case, the virtual displacement at point C is equal to 1 unit, since we applied a unit virtual load. Therefore, the principle of virtual work can be written as follows:
U is the total internal strain energy of the truss due to the real loads
Substituting the known values, we get the following equation:
We can now use the strain energy to calculate the horizontal deflection at point C. This can be done using the following formula:
δ = U / F
From Table Q1, we know that the horizontal force at point C due to the real loads is equal to -13.03 kN. Therefore, the horizontal deflection at point C can be calculated as follows:
δ = 1 kN-m / -13.03 kN


