Would it make more sense to solve for part b first (the general expression for deflection) and then apply the constraint that the deflection is 0 at a pin joint to solve for the reaction at B?
Can we not use equilibrium equation(s) to solve for the reaction at B? Or should we be using the deflection equation because the problem says to use the superposition method?
Veronica, there are three unknown reactions in the problem, so you will need more than the FBD equations to solve for them.
The distributed load condition given is different from the superposition table. Are we expected to use integration method to figure out the deflection for that load case or is there a clever way to use the superposition table for that?
You can combine multiple cases in superposition. So if the distributed load is only from B to C, we can represent that as a combination of some load from A to B and another from A to C.
When the problem states analytical for part b does that mean we can leave the equation symbolically and not substitute the "data" values?
Keep the expression symbolic with respect to the given data, but plug in the value found in part a.
Would it make more sense to solve for part b first (the general expression for deflection) and then apply the constraint that the deflection is 0 at a pin joint to solve for the reaction at B?
Yes, you will need to use the deflection equation to find the reaction at B.
Can we not use equilibrium equation(s) to solve for the reaction at B? Or should we be using the deflection equation because the problem says to use the superposition method?
Veronica, there are three unknown reactions in the problem, so you will need more than the FBD equations to solve for them.
The distributed load condition given is different from the superposition table. Are we expected to use integration method to figure out the deflection for that load case or is there a clever way to use the superposition table for that?
You can combine multiple cases in superposition. So if the distributed load is only from B to C, we can represent that as a combination of some load from A to B and another from A to C.