NEW CANONICAL FORMS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF SYMMETRIC TRUSS STRUCTURES

Abstract

For a symmetric structure the degrees of freedom (DOFs) in two sides of the axis ofsymmetry can be either symmetric or anti-symmetric. If there is no active DOF on the axis ofsymmetry, then we will have the Form II symmetry for the structural matrices, and alternatively ifwe have some active DOFs on the axis, we will have Form III symmetry. These forms are alreadydeveloped and employed in structural dynamics and stability analysis of frame structures.However, for the structures having both symmetric DOFs and anti-symmetric DOFs,simultaneously, we will have different canonical forms, defined in this paper as the Form A andForm B symmetry. Thus the main objective is to develop these forms and explore the governingrelationships. The presented method is then applied to the analysis of symmetric structures.