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Structural Analysis III

Lecture Notes for 2011/12

Semester 1

  1. Course Introduction (No click)
  2. Basis for the Analysis of Indeterminate Structures (No click)
  3. Characteristics of Structures
  4. Qualitative Analysis (No click)
  5. The Moment-Area Method (No click)
  6. Moment Distribution (No click)

Lecture Notes for 2010/11

Semester 2

  • Macaulay’s Method for Indeterminate Structures: The deflections of indeterminate flexural structures. Updates of last year’s notes.
  • Virtual Work: updates and some shiny new examples and explanations.
  • Plastic Analysis – a few extra bits and one piece.

Semester 1

  • Course Introduction (No click) notes;
  • Updated Qualitative Analysis (No click) notes for the analysis of structures without numerical calculation.
  • Basis for the Analysis of Indeterminate Structures here. (885 hits)
  • Updated Moment Area – Mohr’s Theorems Notes here (No click).
  • Updated Moment Distribution notes here (761 hits).

Lecture Notes for 2009/10

Semester 2

  • Macaulay’s Method for Indeterminate Structures: The deflections of indeterminate flexural structures. Minor updates of last year’s notes.
  • Virtual Work…again only minor updates unfortunately.
  • Plastic Analysis – new examples and extra explanation make this a thrilling read!

Semester 1

The Lab notes (No click) for, well, the laboratory work.

Qualitative Analysis notes for the analysis of structures without numerical calculation.

Basis for the Analysis of Indeterminate Structures (No click) – updated from last year’s set – background concepts and commonly used assumptions are explained;

The Moment Area Method (No click) notes: lots of updates – hopefully much more interesting! Supporting downloads are:

Updated Moment Distribution notes (No click).

Lecture Notes for 2008/9

Semester 2

  • Macaulay’s Method for Indeterminate Structures: The deflections of indeterminate flexural structures. An updated set of last year’s notes.
  • Virtual Work: Used to analyse frames and trusses for moments and deflections. An updated set of last year’s notes.
  • Plastic Analysis: The calculation of the actual collapse load of structural frames, given the capacity of the members. An updated set of last year’s notes.
  • Semester 2 Exam information for the revised format;
  • Plastic Bending of Beams Lab workings;
  • UPDATED set of Plastic Analysis notes, with an extra example.

Christmas Spaghetti Bridge Competition Results 2008/9

Group Bridge Weight (kg) Strength (kg) SW Ratio Prediction (kg) PS Ratio
1 0.861 4.81 5.59 7.0 1.46
2 0.820 9.01 10.99 8.0 0.89
3 0.859 4.24 4.94 15.0 3.54
4 0.641 6.48 10.11 10.0 1.54
5* 0.327 0.97 2.97 3.0 3.09
6 0.857 1.9 2.22 2.3 1.21
7* 0.971 8.14 8.38 10.0 1.23
8* 0.523 1.07 2.05 1.5 1.40
9* 0.400 1.5 3.75 2.0 1.33
10 0.787 6.88 8.74 10.0 1.45
11 0.885 7.86 8.88 3.5 0.45


* These groups were disqualified due to non-conformance with the specifications (No click) of the problem.

First, second, and third were awarded to Groups 2, 4 and 11 respectively (as may be seen by sorting on the SW column). The Faculty Director also awarded Group 5 a special merit prize for their unique entry.

One very intersting aspect of the results is the significant over-estimation of strength across the board, save for Groups 2 and 11. Is it coincidence that these groups were prize-winners?

Semester 1

Lecture Notes for 2007/8

  • Mohr’s Theorems: Used to calculate deflections and reactions of determinate and indeterminate structures.
  • Moment Distribution: Hand method for the analysis of indeterminate structures.
  • Structure Characteristics: The identification of the type of structure being analysed and whether it is stable or not and the movement that structures may undergo, covers Stability; Statical Determinacy and Indeterminacy, and; Kinematic Indeterminacy.
  • Virtual Work: Used to analyse frames and trusses for moments and deflections.
  • Qualitative Analysis: Estimating bending moments etc. without doing any calculations.
  • Macaulay’s Method for Indeterminate Structures: The deflections of indeterminate flexural structures.
  • Plastic Analysis: The calculation of the actual collapse load of structural frames, given the capacity of the members.
  • Compatibility and Superposition: some of the very basics upon which the analysis of indeterminate structures is based.

Software

  • LinPro (562 hits) is great for analysing 2D structures. There are no bells & whistles to distract from the basic analysis and you can see the stiffness matrix for each member. The interface is quite easy (apart from the load definitions which are strange!). Well recommended for checking hand calculations and vice versa.
  • Macaulay’s Method (No click) for a beam with a hinge – the MS Excel file from the example in the notes.
  • Virtual Work for continuous beams (No click) – the MS Excel file from the example in the notes.
  • Total Potential Energy (No click) of a simple spring system – graphs from the Virtual Work notes.


Comments

Comment from Walid
Time: 29 May, 2009, 23:06

Greetinggs!

You have excellent course notes.

On the subject of yield analysis, there are many examples here and elsewhere regarding rectangular slabs with different boundary conditions, i.e., end fixity. When it comes to analyzing a triangular concrete slab, how can one set up the external work equal to the internal work? How to compute the maximym out of plane deflection of the top of the barrier. Do you have an example problem? If so, please post.

Your assistance is gretly apprecited!!!

Note: I was referring to a concrete bridge barrier subject to a transverse impact load. Based on the yield analysis suggested by Hirsch, th failure will be in the form of a triangular slab. The area of failure will have moments along the yiled lines, thus plastic hinges develop. The side of the wedge may be considered as fixed while the top of the barrier (outer side) is not fixed.

Comment from Ryan
Time: 19 June, 2009, 17:24

This is a great site. Thanks for all your posts. I like this site so much. =)

Comment from Barbra
Time: 21 July, 2009, 02:24

Hi

I was just researching for my assignment on Structural dynamics and your lecture notes are most appropriate. I am so impressed with your order and quality of information and detail in your notes. Your efforts are not in vain, I personally appreciate you sharing your knowledge so freely. Ryan is right, this site is Great! I am going to be visiting it quite frequently. Thanks and God bless!

Comment from Marco
Time: 14 October, 2009, 21:52

Your notes are unbelievably helpful!
Thank you so much, I might just pass structures after all!

Comment from Suganya Paskaran
Time: 3 January, 2010, 11:53

Hello Dr. Caprani,
I am a level 3 Civil Engineering student in sri lanka.
Your lecture notes are very useful to my course.
thanks a lot for the great service.
thanks for the the free access.

Comment from sham
Time: 12 February, 2010, 09:05

Hi..Dr.Caprani,
I m studying civil engineering in malaysia and your notes really helped me on my test.
many thanks indeed.

Comment from Hugh
Time: 23 February, 2010, 12:19

Hello Dr. Caprani,

I have already completed my Msc and find the notes extreamly helpfull!! Thanks for posting them. A good read!

Comment from Jim
Time: 20 April, 2010, 18:34

Wow Dr.Caprani, these notes are all great, I have got my 3rd year Analysis exam soon, I’m glad I found them. Please come back to UCD!

Comment from Nkanyezi Mazibuko
Time: 5 May, 2010, 12:33

Hi

I would like to inquire about the stiffness matrix method.How does one deal with combined structures with regards to stiffnesses of different elements and inputting them into the global stiffness matrix. e.g a beam with spring supports

Comment from Admin
Time: 5 May, 2010, 20:18

Nkanyezi,
Refer to my 4th year notes here. For a beam with spring supports the spring stiffness is added to the main diagonal corresponding DOF. See how this is implemented in the program Continuous Beam Analysis here. The references in my notes should also be of assistance.

Colin

Comment from Mike
Time: 25 June, 2010, 14:55

Hi,

Do you have any notes on taperd reinforced concrete columns? If not, do you know where i could find these?

Comment from Dratre Anthony
Time: 31 August, 2010, 14:51

I have found your notes helpful for my studies, kindly forward for me your notes on structural anlysis III and IV

Comment from Parveshen Naidoo
Time: 6 March, 2011, 12:59

thank you for the notes Dr Caprani, i used the qualitative set quiet thoroughly. we really appreciate your help in our structural analysisIII course

Comment from Steve
Time: 25 April, 2011, 10:31

Superb site, it is very rare to find such an open site offering so much quality information. Thank you

Comment from Jyoti Prakash Mahanta
Time: 6 May, 2011, 13:51

I’m studying Civil engineering in India. Your notes are awesome, hope you will include Analysis of various Bridges in your course.

Comment from Admin
Time: 6 May, 2011, 15:22

Thanks Jyoti,
Hopefully! There may be a Masters course soon that I’ll be able to do some work on bridges in. Thanks for the nice comment.

Comment from Nkanyezi Mazibuko
Time: 19 May, 2011, 07:44

Hi i would like find inquuire about supports in the moment distribution. If you have a slider support at one end of a beam that is inclined, do you 1st treat it as a fixed support in order to obtain the FEMs, if so how do you account for the vertical reaction as a result of fixing the support?

Comment from Arun kumar
Time: 27 June, 2011, 06:33

a very gud site . . but i need some idea to prepare best poster presentation pls help me

Comment from hadi bahmani
Time: 29 November, 2011, 19:56

hello
I am so pleased to find your website.Your material is very useful.Thank you.

Comment from asimsos
Time: 13 December, 2011, 19:32

hi dr capriani. i am studyin civil engineering in TURKEY and i need your help. in this term i am having structural analysis project lesson. my homework is “solving 7. degree indeterminate system with stiffness matrix method” . first i need summarize methot but not academicly (studently) :) i mean it should be apllicable maybe include solved some questions…. PLEASE HELPP MEEE. E-MAIL : asimsos@gmail.com

Comment from Amad Afzal
Time: 20 January, 2012, 15:49

Dr. Caprani.

I just want to say a big thank you to you on behalf of me and my course mates. Your notes are of the highest standard and I feel that every university in the world should use these to teach structures 3 & 4. If I ever get the honour of meeting you I would like to give you a big hug as these notes are the only reason why I will ever pass my structures module.

Thank you and Many Regards.

Comment from Admin
Time: 20 January, 2012, 18:49

Amad,
Thank you so much for your kind comments – they are very encouraging :) I hope you do well int eh rest of your course and go on to have a great career in engineering – there really is nothing like it!
Colin

Comment from Admin
Time: 20 January, 2012, 18:51

asimsos,
Have a look at the Structural Analysis 4 notes. Honestly, I’m not holding back on some “magic sentence” that will help students understand the material – whatever I can offer is in the notes. Reading notes from different authors on the same topic has always helped me, as well as hours and hours practicing problems.
Good luck,
Colin

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