James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2001

CS3000:03

Structural Engineering 1

Townsville

Prerequisites: CS2001 CS2003 MA2000

39 lectures, 26 tutorials, 13 hours practicals. First semester.

Available to civil engineering students.

Determinate structures – Conditions for determinacy and stability. Elastic deflections of beams, frames and trusses; conjugate beam, virtual work, strain energy; Castigliano’s theorems; Betti’s law, Maxwell’s law; Muller-Breslau’s principle; influence lines.

Indeterminate structures – Solutions for beams, frames and trusses using the principle of superposition (force method); superposition equations. Sign convention. Slope deflection equations; sidesway; introduction to moment distribution (no sidesway).

Matrix displacement method – Outline of force and displacement methods. Displacement method; degrees of freedom. Member and total structure stiffness; truss and frame element; assembly of total structure stiffness; direct displacement method; force-displacement relationship; solution for displacements, external reactions and member forces. Statical condensation; analysis by sub-structures; general loads.

Learning Objectives:

  1. develop the ability to calculate deflections in beams, frames and trusses using conjugate beam, virtual work or energy methods as appropriate;
  2. a detailed understanding of the fundamental theory of the matrix displacement method;
  3. an ability to solve a variety of indeterminate beam, frame and truss problems.

Assessment by examination (50%-70%); on-course assessment (30%-50%).