The course provides students with a basic knowledge of structural analysis and design for buildings, bridges and other structures. Students will investigate the behavior of structural systems and elements through lecture material, complemented by laboratory exercises. The course will provide insight into the manner in which structures carry loads through a series of design problems and case studies. The course will expose students to structural design using timber, masonry, steel, and concrete.
We will cover the following topics: mechanics of materials; equilibrium of forces and reactions; shear and moment diagrams; deflections; properties of construction materials; loads; analysis, design and behavior of beams, columns, trusses, frames, arches; and structural systems. The laboratory exercises may include site visits, structural model building and evaluation, seminars, and video presentations.
The course serves as an introduction to structures through the comprehensive treatment of statics and structural design. Learning in the course is accomplished through design exercises both in the lab setting and as assigned structural design problems. The course is intended to prepare the undergraduate for further study in graduate structural courses.
Final grades will be calculated as follows:
Attendance...... 10%
Assignments.... 40%
Midterm............20%
Final Exam........30%