Civil and Structural Engineering
Tutorials and Courses
Over 4700 students across 141 countries
New Tutorials
Column Buckling: Realistic Buckling Behaviour (3/3)
In this final post in this series on Column Buckling, we’ll look at more realistic buckling behaviour you’re likely to observe in reality. In particular we’ll explore the behaviour of columns subject to eccentric axial load and columns with an initial deformation, i.e. columns that don’t start out straight. It’s important to recognise that for a column with these characteristics, we do not observe the strict mathematical behaviour predicted for perfectly loaded perfectly straight columns
Column Buckling Equations (2/3)
In this post we’ll start to consider more realistic column structures. In particular we’ll determine an expression for the critical load for an axially loaded column with pinned ends. Then we’ll explore other support conditions. We’ll also introduce some other key concepts such as buckling modes and effective length.
Column Buckling and Stability (1/3)
Long slender structural elements under the action of an axial load may fail due to buckling rather than direct compression. Buckling failure occurs when axial load induces a lateral deflection leading to a bending type failure. Buckling can also occur in plate and shell structures and is a relatively common cause of structural collapse. Depending on the geometry of the structural element, buckling can occur long before the material yields.
Structural Analysis Courses
Fundamentals of Structural Analysis
Get to grips with civil engineering structural analysis once and for all.
After completing this course…
- You will understand key concepts such as the moment of a force, static equilibrium and determinacy.
- You will be able to determine the support reactions for structures subject to a range of loading conditions.
- You will learn to use the Joint Resolution Method and Method of Sections to analyse pin-jointed truss structures.
Average Rating
(3457 students)
Mastering Shear Force and Bending Moment Diagrams
Your complete roadmap to mastering these essential structural analysis skills.
After completing this course…
- You will be fully competent in drawing shear force and bending moment diagrams for statically determinate beams and frames.
- You will have a robust system of analysis that allows you to confidently tackle the analysis of any statically determinate structure.
- You will understand the relationship between external loading and the shear forces and bending moments they induce.
Average Rating
(1043 students)
Shear Forces & Bending Moments -Bumper Example Pack
Sharpen your civil engineering analysis skills with questions designed to test your understanding.
After completing this course…
- You will have a reliable procedure for correctly determining shear force and bending moment diagrams for statically determinate structures.
- You will be comfortable analysing both 1-dimensional beam and 2-dimensional frame structures.
- You will be able to utilise pre-existing pin-joints in structures to facilitate your analysis.
Average Rating
(217 students)
Indeterminate Structures & The Moment Distribution Method
Unlock indeterminate structures using the moment distribution structural analysis method.
After completing this course…
- You will have a deep understanding of how structures respond to loading.
- You will clearly understand the methods used to analyse statically indeterminate beams and frames.
- You will be able to analyse both non-sway and sway frames – essential when designing real world structures.
Average Rating
(587 students total)
Moment Distribution Method - Civil Engineering Example Pack
Step up your structural analysis skills by working your way through these indeterminate structures.
After completing this course…
- You will have an even deeper understanding of how structures respond to loading.
- You will be comfortable determining shear force, bending moment and deflected shape diagrams.
- You will be able to analyse both non-sway and sway frames – essential when designing real world structures.
Average Rating
(187 students total)
Fundamentals of Virtual Work for Civil Engineers
Level up your structural analysis skillset with these powerful Civil Engineering analysis techniques.
After completing this course…
- You will have a complete understanding of how concepts such as work, energy and elasticity combine to give us the Principle of Virtual Work.
- You will be able to use Virtual Work to calculate unknown nodal displacements in pin-jointed truss structures.
- You will be able to use Virtual Work to calculate internal forces in pin-jointed truss structures.
Average Rating
(160 students total)
Mastering Virtual Work for Civil Engineering
Analyse complex beam and frame civil engineering structures using Virtual Work.
After completing this course…
- You will have a complete understanding of the Principle of Virtual Work and how it can be applied to bending behaviour.
- You will have robust, repeatable strategies to apply Virtual Work to beam and frame structures in bending.
- You will be able to use Virtual Work techniques to calculate unknown displacements in beams and frames.
Average Rating
(185 students total)
Analysing Hybrid Indeterminate Civil Engineering Structures
Powerful techniques for analysing realistic civil engineering structures.
After completing this course…
- You will learn how to analysis complex and indeterminate structures using hand-analysis techniques.
- You will learn how to calculate deflections, member forces and bending moments in indeterminate structures.
- You will learn how the Principle of Superposition can be used to decipher and unlock the behaviour of complex structures.
Average Rating
(74 students total)
What students say
Your Tutor
Hi, I’m Seán, the person behind DegreeTutors.com. I’m a senior lecturer in Structural Engineering in a leading UK university and I’m also a chartered engineer and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. DegreeTutors is a website designed to support students along the road to obtaining their engineering degree.
As a lecturer, I see first hand the difficulty many students have with structural analysis; from the basics of constructing free body diagrams, right up to complex analysis of statically indeterminate structures. The tutorials and courses on DegreeTutors are designed to help you build these skills and develop the intuition for structural behaviour that all good engineers need.
Dr Seán Carroll
B.Eng (Hons), M.Sc, Ph.D, CEng MIEI, FHEA
Subscribe for new tutorial and course updates
If you want to get notified whenever I release a new tutorial or publish a new course on DegreeTutors, sign up for email notifications. I’ll keep emails to a minimum!
By subscribing you agree to receive emails from DegreeTutors. I will respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.