Graphical Analysis of Trusses

Graphical analysis methods for trusses are divided into the method of joints and method of moments. The graphical method of joints was commonly used in trusses for buildings due to its simplicity, ease of application, and self-correcting characteristics. The graphical method of moments was less commonly used: it is less straightforward and, as its analytical counterpart, only determines the forces in the three members cut in a given section. The great advantage of the graphical method of joints is that all of the joint force diagrams can be superimposed on the same diagram. In the late 1800s, a large number of graphic procedures were available for the determination of forces and deflections in trussed structures. The construction of force diagrams for building trusses was a method widely used, because it was considered significantly simpler than its analytical counterpart.