CEE 4404 : INTERMEDIATE ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURES
Course Description :

This course provides the theoretical basis for analyzing simple 2-dimensional structures including trusses, continuous beams, and frames. Both statically determinate and indeterminate systems are considered. Structural elements (beams, columns, braces) can be prismatic or nonprismitic. A variety of external and internal loads are covered, including nodal loads, element loads, temperature changes, and support settlements. Since the ability to compute deflections is an essential ingredient in the analysis of indeterminate structures the principle of virtual work (virtual forces) will be described and exercised in detail before the structural analysis methods are presented. All structures analyzed will assume linear elastic materials and will ignore the influence of deflections on equilibrium.

While the focus of the course is on "hand calculations" approaches, these approaches become impractical for structures with more than four or five elements. For this reason, many of the actual calculations will be performed using Mathcad. The use of commercial structural analysis programs is avoided, but simple educational programs such as Mastan, will be used to confirm the accuracy of the solutions obtained by hand. Additionally, simple approximate validation approaches will be presented

Specific Course Objectives :
  • Describe the basic types of structural systems and suggest an appropriate system for a given application.
  • Determine whether a structure is properly supported (externally stable) and configured (internally stable).
  • Determine whether a structure is statically determinate or statically indeterminate, to what degree, and whether a force or displacement method of analysis is more advantageous to apply.
  • Compute deflections in simple trusses, beams, and frames, including non-prismatic members using the principle of virtual work.
  • Apply the principle of virtual displacements to investigate equilibrium of simple structural systems.
  • Solve for the reactions of simple statically indeterminate trusses, beams, and frames utilizing compatibility approaches (the force method).
  • Solve for the internal axial forces, shear forces, and bending moments in simple statically indeterminate trusses, beams, and frames utilizing equilibrium approaches (the displacement method).
  • Solve for reactions and internal forces for cases of support settlement and temperature changes.
  • Apply the concepts of influence lines to structures with moving loads.
  • Perform approximate analysis of rectilinear frames.
  • Evaluate the accuracy structural analysis solutions generated by computer software.
Course Prerequisite :
C- or better in CEE 3404
Hours & Credits :
3H, 3C
Semester Offered :
Spring