Fundamentals of Structural Analysis







Preface

There are two new developments in the last twenty years in the civil engineering

curricula that have a direct bearing on the design of the content of a course in structural

analysis: the reduction of credit hours to three required hours in structural analysis in

most civil engineering curricula and the increasing gap between what is taught in

textbooks and classrooms and what is being practiced in engineering firms. The former is

brought about by the recognition of civil engineering educators that structural analysis as

a required course for all civil engineering majors need not cover in great detail all the

analytical methods. The latter is certainly the result of the ubiquitous applications of

personal digital computer.

This structural analysis text is designed to bridge the gap between engineering practice

and education. Acknowledging the fact that virtually all computer structural analysis

programs are based on the matrix displacement method of analysis, the text begins with

the matrix displacement method. A matrix operations tutorial is included as a review and

a self-learning tool. To minimize the conceptual difficulty a student may have in the

displacement method, it is introduced with plane truss analysis, where the concept of

nodal displacements presents itself. Introducing the matrix displacement method early

also makes it easier for students to work on term project assignments that involve the

utilization of computer programs.

The force method of analysis for plane trusses is then introduced to provide the coverage

of force equilibrium, deflection, statical indeterminacy, etc., that are important in the

understanding of the behavior of a structure and the development of a feel for it.

The force method of analysis is then extended to beam and rigid frame analysis, almost in

parallel to the topics covered in truss analysis. The beam and rigid frame analysis is

presented in an integrated way so that all the important concepts are covered concisely

without undue duplicity.

The displacement method then re-appears when the moment distribution and slopedeflection

methods are presented as a prelude to the matrix displacement method for

beam

and rigid frame analysis. The matrix displacement method is presented as a

generalization

of the slope-deflection method.

The above description outlines the introduction of the two fundamental methods of

structural analysis, the displacement method and the force method, and their applications

to the two groups of structures, trusses and beams-and-rigid frames. Other related topics

such as influence lines, non-prismatic members, composite structures, secondary stress

analysis, limits of linear and static structural analysis are presented at the end.



S. T. Mau

2002





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