Structural Analysis Lab Manual

Experiment No. 1: Verification of Maxwell-Betti’s Law

Name : Roll No. :

Group No. : Date :
Marks :
Faculty’s Signature :

Aim :
To verify Maxwell-Bett’s Law.

Apparatus :
Aluminium beam with graduation, knife edge supports, dial gauge, magnetic base stands
and weights.

Theory :
Maxwell’s law of reciprocal deflections is special case of Bett’s law. It states that “The
deflection of point A due to a load ‘P’ at point B in is equal in the magnitude to the deflection of
point B produced by a unit load ‘P’ applied at A.

X-X Y-Y

W δ δ W

Procedure :
1. Apply a load either within the simply supported span or within the cantilever portion of
the beam. The deflected form can be obtained.
2. Measure the height of the beam at certain distance (i.e. at a given point) by means of a
dial gauge before and after the loading and determine the deflection of that point.
3. Now move the same load (step 1) to that point and measure the deflection of the section
where the load had been applied in step 1 along the beam at certain distance and for each
Structural Analysis Lab Manual
positions of the load the deflection of the point is noted where the load was applied in
step1.
4. Repeat the above experiment for various sections of the beam.

Observation :
Loading at X-X
Distance of Load at Deflection at any section Y-Y
section Section X-X Distance of Beam Beam loaded Deflection at
X-X from (kg) Y-Y from K unloaded dial dial gauge Y-Y
left support (cm) gauge reading reading (mm)
(cm) (mm) (mm) = 45
1 2 3 4 5 6

Loading at Y-Y
Distance of Load at Deflection at any section Y-Y
section Section Y-Y Distance of Beam Beam loaded Deflection at
Y-Y from (kg) X-X from K unloaded dial dial gauge X-X
left support (cm) gauge reading reading (mm)
(cm) (mm) (mm) = 45
1 2 3 4 5 6

Precautions :
i. Do not apply the load with a jerk.
ii. Allow the load to remain for a short duration.
iii. Tap the dial Gauge before taking reading.
iv. Ensure that there is no initial curvature or flaw in the beam.
v. The load applied should cause deflection within limit of proportionality.

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Results and comments:
Structural Analysis Lab Manual

Experiment No. 2: Determination of flexural rigidity of beam

Name : Roll No. :

Group No. : Date :
Marks :
Faculty’s Signature :

Aim :
To determine the flexural rigidity of the beam verify it theoretically.

Apparatus :
M.S beam with graduation, knife edge supports, dial gauge, magnetic base stands and
weights, Vernier Caliper.

Theory :

a l a

W y W

l/2

For the beam with two equal overhangs and subjected to two concentrated loads W each
at the free ends, the maximum deflection y at the centre is given by
Wal 2
y (1)
8EI
where, a = Length of overhang on each side,
W = Load applied at free ends
l = Main Span,
E = Modulus of elasticity of the material,
I = Moment of inertia of cross-section of the beam.
From the above equation, we can find the flexural rigidity (EI) as
Wal 2
EI  (2)
8y

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 Structural Analysis Lab Manual
Theoretically, the flexural rigidity is given as
bd 3
EI  E  (3)
12
where, b = Width of the beam,
d = Depth of the beam.

Procedure:
1. Find b and d of the beam and calculate the theoretical value of EI by Eq. (3).
2. Measure the main span and overhang span of the beam with a scale.
3. By applying equal loads at the free end of overhang beam, find the central deflection y.
4. Repeat the above steps for different loads.

Observation
Length of main span, l (mm) =
Length of overhang on each side, a (mm) =
Width of beam, b (mm) =
Depth of beam, d (mm) =
Modulus of elasticity, E = 2.1×1011 N/m2 = 2.1×105 N/cm2

Flexural Rigidity
Equal loads at the two ends Deflection at the mid-span 9.806Wal 2
S.
W y EI 
No 8y
(Kg) (mm)
(N.mm2)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Average
Dimensions of beam
S. Width of Beam (mm) Depth of beam (mm)
No. Main Vernier Total Main Vernier Total
1
2
Average Average
Structural Analysis Lab Manual

Calculations :
Value of EI from Eq. (3), EI =
=

Precaution :
i. Measure the center deflection y very accurately.
ii. Ensure that the beam is devoid of initial curvature.
iii. Loading should be within the elastic limit of the materials.

Results:
The value of flexural rigidity from
i. Experiment =
ii. Theory =

Comments :

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 Structural Analysis Lab Manual
Experiment No. 3: Deflection of pin jointed truss

Name : Roll No. :

Group No. : Date :
Marks :
Faculty’s Signature :

Aim :
To determine the deflection of a pin jointed truss and to verify the results theoretically
and graphically.

Apparatus :
Truss apparatus, weights, hanger, dial gauge, scale and Vernier Caliper.

Theory :

U1 U2 U3
U0 U4

L0
L1 L2 L3 L4

The deflection of a node of a truss under a given loading is determined by

F U  L
 (1)
AE
where, δ = deflection at the node point,
F = Force in any member under the given loading,
U = Force in any member under a unit load applied at the point where the deflection
is required. The unit load acts when the loading on the truss have been removed
and acts in the same direction in which the deflection is required,
L = Length of any member,
A = Cross sectional area of any member,
E = Young’s modulus of elasticity of the material of the member.
Here, (L/AE) is the property of the member, which is equal to its extension per unit load.
It may be determined for each member separately by suspending a load from it and noting the
extension.
Structural Analysis Lab Manual

Procedure :
i. Detach each spring from the member. Plot extension against load by suspending load
from the spring and noting the extension. From the graph, obtain the extension per unit
load (stiffness).
ii. Load the truss with 0.25 Kg load at each node and measure the distance between the
hanger and the table for each node. Assume this as the initial position.
iii. Add load at central node and also to the other nodes symmetrically. Measure the distance
between the hangers and the table. The difference in the measurement gives the
deflection of the truss.
iv. Calculate the deflection of the nodes using Eq. (1).
v. Draw Williot-Mohr diagram for the deflections.
vi. Compare the deflections obtained from analytical calculations, experiment and graphical
calculations.

Observations :
Stiffness of member ( L AE )
4
Member Parameter 1 2 3

Load
U0L1
Deflection

Load
U1L2
Deflection

Load
U3L2
Deflection

Load
U4L3
Deflection

Load
L1L2
Deflection

Load
L2L3
Deflection

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Deflection of Truss
S.
Parameter L1 L2 L3
No.

1 Initial loads 250g 250g 250g

2 Initial distances
3 Additional loads
4 Final distance

5 Deflection (42)

Analytical deflections
Node L1 Node L2 Node L3
L F L L L
Member U F .U . U F .U . U F .U .
AE (N) AE AE AE
(N) (N) (N)

U 0U1
U1U 2
U 2U 3
U 3U 4
L0 L1
L1L2
L2 L3
L3 L4
U 0 L0
U1L1
U 2 L2
U 3 L3
U 4 L4
U 0 L1
U1L2
U 3 L2
U 4 L3
Structural Analysis Lab Manual

Calculations :

Precautions :
i. Apply the load without any jerk.
ii. Measure the deflection to the nearest of a millimeter.
iii. Perform the experiment at a location, which is away from any external disturbance.
iv. Ensure that the supports are rigid.

Results :

S.
Method Node L1 Node L2 Node L3
No.
1 Experimental
2 Analytical
3 Graphical

Comments :

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