Definition of Principal of Superposition

Principle of Superposition is an important concept used widely in all engineering branches. It is one of the most important concepts which are used in analysis of the structure in civil engineering. This principle states that the effect of some loads on a structure when applied simultaneously is same as the effect produced by the loads when applied individually. For example the deflection of a cantilever beam of length L and having a constant flexural rigidity EI due to load P1 and P2 as shown in Fig.1 below will be same when the loads are applied individually.