Step 1

For your first step you must solve the base shear reactions in all columns, keeping in
mind assumption number two (interior column has double base shear force than the
exterior).

Step 2
Once your first step is complete, you will take the frame given to you and place hinges at
all mid-height and mid-lengths of the frame.

Step 3
Once all base shear forces have been calculated and hinges placed, you must then split
the frame up at all hinge locations.

Step 4
Once the Frame is split into pieces you must then take the moment about the hinges,
preferably you should start with the piece where the axial force was applied. This same
process must be repeated on the other side of the Frame. Once this is solved for you are
able to balance out every piece by equilibrium and solve for the moments at the fixed
column ends.

Step 5
Once all values have been found you are able to fill in and back solve any unknowns
remaining within your frame. Once this is completed you have successfully complete a
Portal Frame example.

Example Problem 1

Problem 1
The portal method will be used as an approximate method to generate the axial, shear and
bending moment diagrams for the building frame shown below. The building is 2 storeys
tall, and is divided into 4 equal sized bays, each with dimensions of 5m x 5m. The
building is exposed to two lateral loadings of 40 kN and 60 kN, acting at the top of the
second storey and first storey respectively.

Solution
To begin analyzing this 12 degree indeterminate structure, we must first make use of our
simplifying assumptions. We will begin by placing hinges at the mid-span and mid-height
of each member, as this has been determined to be the approximate location of zero
moment. This first assumption has reduced the degree of indeterminacy to 2. The second
assumption that must now be made is taking the stiffness of the interior columns to be
twice that of the exterior columns. This assumption allows us to take the horizontal
reaction force of the middle column as being double the force at either of the leftmost or
rightmost column. Now we have a relationship which binds 3 of our unknowns to a single
unknown, which has removed our once indeterminate structure, leaving a statically
determinate one in its place.

Solving
the

determinate structure
Now that the issue of resolving the building's indeterminacy has been overcome, all that
remains is solving a complex, but determinate system. To do so, the first step is to sum
the forces in the xdirection, for global equilibrium to solve for the horizontal reactions at
the base of the structure, which are all given in terms of the variable F1.