Hints and Discussion Thread
- For trusses of this type, it is always recommended that you solve for the external reactions first. For this problem, an FBD of the entire truss has three reaction force components: Bx, By and Kx.
- Once the external reactions are known, then use either the method of joints or the method of sections to find the member loads. As you might recall from ME 270, it is typically a good idea to draw all member loads as corresponding to tensile loads; that way, a negative sign on the answer tells you that the member was actually in compression.
- Stress in each member is found by dividing the load (force) in the member by the cross-sectional area of the member.
Any questions? Ask (and answer) questions here.