Pin-jointed trusses

Abstract

A pin-jointed truss is a structure made up from separate components by connecting them together at pinned joints or nodes, usually to form a series of triangles. In practice, modern structures rarely have true pinned joints (figure 5.1); however, if pins are assumed it simplifies the analysis and results in reasonably accurate and practical solutions in most cases. It is only with very large or repetitive structures that a more complex computer analysis is really justified. Initially we shall be restricting the analysis to plane trusses, which means that all of the members and loads lie in one flat plane.