The elements of these trusses are called rods and they possess only axial stiffness.
This chapter focuses only on the pin-jointed trusses, loaded at their joints. The type of complex structure that defied theoretical analysis a few decades ago can be solved on a microcomputer by a relative non-expert in structures. Today, the vast majority of matrix analysis of structures is carried out via the displacement method and many sophisticated finite element packages are available for both large and small computers.
Nevertheless, in the aircraft industry, where the force method first gained popularity, teams of operators of mechanical calculators were required to implement it. In general, at that time, the force method was preferred to the displacement method because its requirements for digital computers were less and also because its principles could be more readily explained in analytical terms. The force method is sometimes called the flexibility method, as it depends on a flexibility matrix, while the displacement method is often called the stiffness method as it depends on a stiffness matrix. Many structural analysts preferred an alternative matrix method, known as the force method.
Ross BSc, PhD, DSc, CEng, FRINA, MSNAME, in Advanced Applied Finite Element Methods, 1998 Publisher Summary
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