The Matrix Stiffness Method—Part 1: Beams and Rectangular Frames

The basic concepts of the matrix stiffness method as presented in chapter 3 can be extended to the analysis of continuous beams and rectangular frames. This group of structures has been selected since it is possible to develop a suitable approach without introducing coordinate transformation. Coordinate transformations are introduced in chapter 6 with what can be described as the general stiffness method. The general stiffness method can be used to analyse all types of skeletal structure and the approach of this chapter will ultimately be seen as a subset of the more general technique.