Build Your Bridge to Success: Ace the 2026 Civil Engineering PE Exam!

The first step in structural analysis for a truss is typically to draw a free body diagram. This step is crucial because it provides a visual representation of the truss structure along with all the external forces and supports acting on it. By creating a free body diagram, you can clearly identify how loads are applied to each member of the truss and how these members are connected. This illustration facilitates a better understanding of how the forces will affect the structure.

Once the free body diagram is complete, the subsequent steps can include calculating reactions at the supports, ensuring that the structure is stable, and determining internal forces within the members. The free body diagram serves as the foundation for all these following analyses, making it a fundamental initial step in the process.