Analytical calculation of deformations of a truss for a long span covering

Introduction. The method of induction based on the number of panels is employed to derive formulas designated for deflection of a square in plan hinged rod structure, which has supports on its sides and which consists of individual pyramidal rod elements. The truss is statically determinable and symmetrical. Some features of the solution are identified on the curves constructed according to derived formulas. Materials and methods. The analysis of forces arising in the rods of the covering is performed symbolically using the method of joint isolation and operators of the Maple symbolic math engine. The deflection in the centre of the covering is found by the Maxwell–Mohr’s formula. The rigidity of truss rods is assumed to be the same. The analysis of a sequence of analytical calculations of trusses, having different numbers of panels, is employed to identify coefficients, designated for deflection and reaction at the supports, in the final design formula. The induction method is employed for this purpose. Common members of sequences of coefficients are derived from the solution of linear recurrence equations made using Maple operators. Results. Solutions, obtained for three types of loads, are polynomial in terms of the number of panels. To illustrate the solutions and their qualitative analysis, curves describing the dependence of deflection on the number of panels are made. The author identified the quadratic asymptotics of the solution with respect to the number of panels. The quadratic asymptotics is linear in height. Conclusions. Formulas are obtained for calculating deflection and reactions of covering supports having an arbitrary number of panels and dimensions if exposed to three types of loads. The presence of extremum points on solution curves is shown. The dependences, identified by the author, are designated both for evaluating the accuracy of numerical solutions and for solving problems of structural optimization in terms of rigidity.