TietVinh OP t1_j6g3bk1 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 2:05 AM

Reply to comment by saywherefore in ELI5 what statically determinate and indeterminate structures are and why such classification exists. by TietVinh

So does whether a structure is statically determinate or indeterminate mostly serve the analysis stage of construction or do people actually build statically determinate/indeterminate structures and see how things go in order to improve from there?

saywherefore t1_j6g3tn3 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 2:08 AM

There are advantages to building statically determinate structures beyond the simplicity of analysis; mostly related to the lack of prestress which means you can get away with larger manufacturing tolerances.

However in practice it is hard to achieve a truly determinate structure, and in many cases it is not necessary to even attempt it. There are analysis techniques that apply to indeterminate structures so it’s not like we just build those blindly and hope for the best.

TietVinh OP t1_j6g4aq7 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 2:11 AM

Thank you kind stranger

saywherefore t1_j6g4usu wrote on January 30, 2023 at 2:15 AM

You are welcome

tdscanuck t1_j6g61ep wrote on January 30, 2023 at 2:23 AM

People actually build both, but you don't "improve" it from there...you have to decide whether you're building determinate or indeterminate during the design phase. It's going to be part of the design requirements and it's going to influence everything else you do. If you don't know which kind you want before you start, and why, you don't want that person designing structures.