Engineering 390 - ADVANCED TOPICS IN ENGINEERING

Structural engineering is a discipline that is common to both the civil and mechanical engineering fields. In the civil engineering realm the focus is traditionally on the design and construction of infrastructure such as buildings and bridges. In the mechanical engineering realm, structural engineering often entails the design and manufacture of systems such as airframes and vehicle chassis. The behavior of common structural elements and forms to include trusses, beams and frames, cables and arches are explored. We develop estimates of the loads structures must carry and determine how the load flows through the structure and the corresponding demand placed on each element of the structure by employing modeling and simulation tools. We then use mechanics of materials concepts to estimate the capacity of the structure. Iterating through structural geometry and material selection, a design is reached in which capacity exceeds demand by an acceptable margin. A project is developed in which a basic structural system is designed, analyzed, redesigned and constructed. Prerequisite EGR 270 and Prerequisite or co-requisite EGR 375 or permission of the instructor.

Topic: Structural Engineering I. Not open to first-years, sophomores