Inaccuracies of the Application Moment Distribution Analysis to Reinforced Concrete Structures

The object of this Paper is to give a brief survey of some of the current methods and devices in Structural Analysis, which are proving themselves to be saving of labour or of time. Naturally, the time available in one lecture is too short to permit of proofs, or the solution of elaborate problems as illustrative examples, so that in all cases simple ones have been selected, even though by so doing the method illustrated has not always been shown to the best advantage, as compared with more historic methods. A Bibliography is given at the end, to enable those who wish to do so to follow up any of the methods given, which are published. As a certain number of the dodges are wholly or in part original, it is not possible to make this complete, since so far as the author is aware, this will be the first published information. On the other hand, many of the basic underlying principles are old and well established, and can be looked up in almost any standard text-book, so that it is hoped that the departure can be followed easily from the brief comments the author is able to make here. Jeffrey William Hitchen King

The Recommendations for Design (" Draft Rules for Design") drawn up by the Steel Structures Research Committee, apply to the steel frameworks of building structures having certain types of semi-rigid beam to stanchion connections. Tables and curves show the smallest values of the end restraining moments which a given connection can be relied upon to develop, and it is thus possible to determine the maximum bending moments in. a beam without performing a complete stress analysis for the whole frame. Thus beams can be designed directly with little more trouble than in the orthodox method in which they are assumed to be simply supported. In deriving a design method for the stanchions, the bending moments transmitted across the beam to stanchion connections were calculated on the assumption that these connections were completely rigid. This course was necessary since upper limit curves, showing the greatest restraining moments which the semi-rigid connections couldevelop, were not available. M.R. Horne