CIV 225- STRUCTURES 11

WEEK1: Influence lines for Beams; moving loads; determination of worst loading
conditions

Bibliography:
1. Understanding Structures, Analysis, Materials, Design. 3rd Edition. Derek Seward.

2. Reinforced Concrete Design. 6th Edition. Bill Mosley, John Bungey & Ray Hulse.

3. Civil Engineering Reference Manual. 6th Edition. Michael R. Lindenburg.

4. Structural Analysis. Russell Hibbeler.

Chapter 5.

Introduction
Bridges, industrial buildings with traveling cranes, and frames supporting conveyer belts
are often subjected to moving loads. Each member of these structures must be designed
for the most severe conditions that can possibly develop in that member. Live loads
should be placed at the positions where they will produce these severe conditions. The
critical positions for placing live loads will not be the same for every member. On some
occasions it is possible by inspection to determine where to place the loads to give the
most critical forces, but on many other occasions it is necessary to resort to certain
criteria to find the locations. The most useful of these methods is the influence line.

Influence Lines
An influence line for a particular response, such as reaction, shear force, bending
moment, and axial force, is defined as a diagram, the ordinate to which at any point
equals the value of that response attributable to a unit load acting at that point on the
structure.
An influence line for shear or moment shows the variation of that response at one
particular section in the structure caused by the movement of a unit load from one end of
the structure to the other.

Influence lines for particular responses in simple beams

1. Influence line for support reactions
2. Influence line for moment.
3. Influence line for shear forces
1. Influence line for support reactions

A B

d a b c

a. Influence line for reaction at support A.

(L+d)/L
1

c/L

d a b c

b. Influence line for reaction at support B.

(L+c)/L
1
d/L

d a b c

L
2. Influence line for moment.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
A B

d a b c
d1 d2 c2 c1
L

a. Influence line for moment in section 1

d a b c

b. Influence line for moment in section 2

d1

d a b c

L
 c. Influence line for moment in section 3

d a b c

d. Influence line for moment in section 4

a*b/L

b*d/
L a*c/L

d a b c

e. Influence line for moment in section 5

d a b c

L
 f. Influence line for moment in section 6

c1

d a b c

g. Influence line for moment in section 7

d a b c

.
3. Influence line for Shear

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
A B

d a b c
d1 d2 L c2 c1

a. Influence line for Shear in section 1

-1

d a b c

b. Influence line for Shear in section 2

1 (-)

d a b c

L
 c. Influence line for Shear in section 3 approaching from the left

1 (-)

d a b c

d. Influence line for shear in section 3 approaching from the right

d/L 1 (+)
(+)
(-) c/L
-
-
-

d a b c

e. Influence line for shear in section 4

b/L
(+)
d/L (+)
(-) - (-) c/L
- a/L
- -

d a b c

L
 f. Influence line for Shear in section 5 approaching from the left

d/L (+)
(-) (-) c/L
1

d a b c

g. Influence line for Shear in section 5 approaching from the right

(+) 1

d a b c

h. Influence line for Shear in section 6

1
(+)

d a b c
i. Influence line for Shear in section 7
1

d a b c
Loading
Once the influence lines for the function (shear, reaction, moment) has been constructed,
it will then be possible to locate the live load on the beam which will produce the
maximum value of the function.

Concentrated Loading
Since the numerical value of the function for an influence line is determined using the
dimensionless unit load, then for any concentrated unit force (F) acting on the beam at
any position (x), the value of the function can be found by multiplying the ordinates of
the force influence lines at the position (x) by the magnitude of the force.

Uniform Distributed Load (UDL)

The value of the function caused by the UDL is simply the area under the influence line
diagram for the function multiplied by the magnitude of the uniform force

Example 1:
Construct the influence line for the vertical reaction at A and determine the maximum
possible reaction that can be developed in Support A of figure 1 due to a concentrated
live load of 10 kN.

A
B

4m

Figure 1
Method 1
1. Place the unit load at variable positions (x) at narrow intervals along the beam from
reaction A to B.
2. For each position in 1 above compute, tabulate and represent graphically the value of
the reaction at A.
Place unit load at variable positions

A
B

4m

Compute the value of reaction A for each position of the live load.

At x =0.
P=1

Ray Rby
4m

Taking Moment about B: Ray (4m) - 1(4m) =0.

Ray = 1

At x =1m.
P=1
1m

Ray Rby

4m

Taking Moment about B: Ray (4m) - 1(3m) =0.

Ray = 3/4
At x =2m.
P=1
2m

Ray Rby

4m

Taking Moment about B: Ray (4m) - 1(2m) =0.

Ray =

At x =3m. P=1
3m

Ray Rby

4m

Taking Moment about B: Ray (4m) - 1(1m) =0.

Ray = 1/4

At x =4m. P=1

Ray Rby
4m

Taking Moment about B: Ray (4m) - 1(0m) =0.

Ray = 0
Tabulate values of x and reactions at support A

x Ray
0 1
1
2
3
4 0

Represent graphically values of x and Reactions at support A.

1
3/4
1/2
1/4
0
A
B

4m

Figure 1

In the diagram above the maximum reaction at A will be obtained when the load is placed
above the highest point of the graph which corresponds to point x = 0 or above support
A.
The value of the reaction at this point is obtained by multiplying the ordinate of the
influence line by the concentrated force.

Ray =1 x 10kN
Ray = 10kN.
Method 2
1. Recall graph for influence line for reaction at support A.
2. Configure graph to specific problem.
3. Multiply ordinate of graph by concentrated force at point to produce maximum
value. (for distributed loads the area of graph corresponding to the section of
beam under load is multiplied by the magnitude of the distributed force)

Influence line for reaction at support A.

(L+d)/L
1

c/L

d a b c

Influence applied to problem at hand.

A
B

4m

In the diagram above the maximum reaction at A will be obtained when the load is placed
above the highest point of the graph which corresponds to the point above support A.
The value of the reaction at this point is obtained by multiplying the ordinate of the
influence line by the concentrated force.

Ray =1 x 10kN
Ray = 10kN.
Example 2:
A simply supported bridge is shown in figure 3. If the truck shown in figure 4
crosses the bridge, determine the following.

a) The maximum reaction at support A caused by the wheel loads of the truck.
(5 marks)
b) The maximum moment at Point D caused by the wheel loads of the truck.
(5 marks)
c) The maximum positive shear at Point C caused by the wheel loads of the
truck. (5 marks)

10k 50kN 50kN

C N
A D
2m 4m
B

5 10 5 5
m m 0 m
Figure 3 m Figure 4
d) The maximum reaction at support A caused by the wheel loads of the truck.
(5 marks)

ILRA

(L+C)/L

D/L
A B

L D
C

Where:
c = 5, L =15, D=5

50k 50kN 10kN

N

4m 2m

Y3 =
4/3 Y
Y
1 1/3
A2
B

C L D

Maximum reaction at support A = 50kN (y3) +50kN (y2) + 10kN (y1)

Maximum reaction at support A = 50kN (4/3) +50kN (16/15) + 10kN ( )

Maximum reaction at support A = 66.67kN + 53.33kN + 9.33kN = 129.33kN
Maximum reaction at support A = 129.33kN

e) The maximum moment at Point D caused by the wheel loads of the truck.
(5 marks)
ILMD

0
A B

C L D
 50k 50kN 10kN
N

4m 2m
D
0
A
B

C L D

The maximum moment at Point D = 50kN (y3) +50kN (y2) + 10kN (y1).
The maximum moment at Point D = 50kN (0) +50kN (0) + 10kN (0) = 0.
The maximum moment at Point D = 0

f) The maximum positive shear at Point C caused by the wheel loads of the
truck. (5 marks)
ILSC

B/L

C/L
C
A D/L
B
A/L

C L D

A = 10, B= 5, C = 5, L =15, D=5

50k 50kN 10kN

N

4m 2m
Y3 =B/L
C/L
Y1 D/L
Y2
A A/L
B
C L D

The maximum positive shear at Point C = 50kN (y3) +50kN (y2) + 10kN (y1)

The maximum positive shear at Point C = 50kN (1/3) +50kN (1/15) - 10kN ( )
The maximum positive shear at Point C = 16.67kN + 3.33kN - 0.66kN = 19.33kN
The maximum positive shear at Point C = 19.33kN
Assignment #1:
If a concentrated live load of 20kN is applied to the beam as shown in figure 2 determine
the following.
1. Influence line for moment at C.
2. Influence line for the shear at C.
3. The location of the live load to produce maximum and minimum moments at C.
4. The location of the live load to produce maximum and minimum shear at C.
5. The maximum and minimum moments at C.
6. The maximum and minimum shear at C.

C
A B

5m 10m

Figure 2

1. Influence line for moment at C.

a*b/L = 5 x 10/15 = 10/3

A B

a =5 b =10

L =15
IFMC
2. Influence line for shear at C.

b/L = 10/15 = 2/3

A B

a*/L = 5/15 = 1/3

a =5 b =10
L =15
IFVC
3. The location of the live load to produce maximum and minimum moments at C.
The maximum moment at C occurs when the live load is at point C (5m from
support A)
The minimum moment at point C occur when the live load is at support A or C.

4. The location of the live load to produce maximum and minimum shear at C.
The maximum shear at C occurs when the live load is at point C (5m from support
A)
The minimum shear at point C occur when the live load is at point C (5m from
support A)

5. The maximum and minimum moments at C.

Mmax = 20kN x 10/3 = 66.67kN-m
20kN

10/3
A B

a =5 b =10

L =15
IFMC
 Mmin = 20kN x 0 = 0

20kN
10/3
A B

a =5 b =10

L =15
IFMC
6. The maximum and minimum shear at C.
Vmax = 20kN x 2/3 = 13.33kN
20kN

2/3
A B
1/3

a =5 b =10
L =15
IFVC
Vmin = 20kN x -1/3 = - 6.67kN

20kN
A B
1/3

a =5 b =10
L =15
IFVC