Environmental Conservation 630 - ST-Building Material Mechanics

"Structures are made from an infinite variety of shapes and materials making their design and analysis potentially very complex. A common first step is through simplification by grouping elements with the same patterns, or carrying similar type of loads, into simple structural elements. In this course, students of Construction and Architecture learn how to use structural idealization to estimate forces and stresses in building elements as a precursor for structural building design. The course employs realistic building examples to introduce students to fundamental engineering analysis. The main topics are: statics and equilibrium as applied to statically determinate systems; force and moment analysis; strength of materials where students learn to determine stress and strain in simply supported beams; and beam design with deflection, shear and bending stress evaluation. Through a combination of classroom lecture, demonstration, practical application, homework assignments and problem solving sessions, students will gain mathematical confidence and learn the importance of problem solving in construction. These elements can be classified as to their form and function in a technique called ?structural idealization."