Dr Seán Carroll

Dr Seán Carroll is the founder and lead tutor at DegreeTutors.com, an online education platform producing online courses and tools in the field of civil and structural engineering. Before starting DegreeTutors.com, he spent ten years teaching students about engineering analysis and design at the University of Exeter, Warwick University and The University of Nottingham. Before his academic career, he worked as a structural design engineer for Tobin and Arup Consulting Engineers in Dublin. He holds a first-class honours degree in structural engineering, a master’s degree in civil engineering and a PhD in civil engineering structural dynamics. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

P-delta effects | DegreeTutors.com

P-Delta Analysis and Geometric Non-linearity

In this tutorial, we’ll explore the P-Delta effect; a form of non-linear behaviour that can lead to large magnitude sway deflections in columns. Put simply, P-Delta describes the phenomenon whereby an additional or secondary moment is generated in a column due to the combination of axial load (P) and lateral sway, (Delta), of the column. This leads to non-linear structural behaviour and can result in lateral deflections far in excess of those arising from lateral loading alone. We’ll explore the phenomenon and write some code to help visualise the behaviour.

Beam Deflection Calculator_cover | DegreeTutors.com

Building a Beam Deflection Calculator in Python

In this project, we’ll build a beam deflection calculator that can generate beam deflections by directly integrating the bending moment diagram. The technique we’ll use for calculating deflection in this project is not limited to statically determinate structures, although you will need a complete bending moment diagram to integrate. This project builds on our previous Shear Force and Bending Moment Calculator project. So at the end of this project, the final result will be a complete beam analysis code that calculates beam reactions, shear forces, bending moments and deflections.

Shear and Moment Calculator Playlist | DegreeTutors.com

Building a Shear Force and Bending Moment Diagram Calculator in Python

In this project we’re going to build a Shear Force and Bending Moment Diagram calculator using Python in the Jupyter Notebook development environment. Generating the shear force and bending moment diagram for a simple beam with anything other than basic loading can be a tedious and time-consuming process. Once you finish this project, you’ll have a calculator that can produce shear force and bending moment diagrams at the push of a button. 

Building a Mohr's Circle Calculator | DegreeTutors.com

Building a Mohr’s Circle Calculator for Stress Analysis in Python

In this Python project we’re going to build a Mohr’s Circle calculator. By the end of this project, you will have built your own stress analysis Python code. Along the way we’ll cover all of the fundamental topics that lead up to Mohr’s circle of stress. You will learn about how we use the 2D stress element to represent the state of stress at a point, the purpose of stress transformation equations, principal stresses and principal planes planes and of course Mohr’s circle!

Truss-Analysis | DegreeTutors.com

Truss Analysis using the Method of Joints and Method of Sections

In this tutorial we’re going to focus on trusses, also known as pin-jointed structures. We’ll briefly discuss their key features and methods of analysis. We’re going to start at the very beginning by briefly considering what exactly a truss is – but we’ll very quickly move on to truss analysis and demonstrate the joint resolution method and method of sections with some worked examples.

Tintagel-Bridge-Render | DegreeTutors.com

Finite Element Analysis and Structural Behaviour Modelling Case Study

In this post we will use the Tintagel footbridge as a case study to explore structural behaviour and show how we can build up an understanding of the structure through analysis of increasingly refined finite element models models. We’ll apply this iterative approach by starting with a simple beam model and incrementally working towards a full 3D finite element model. Throughout this post we’ll make use of finite element analysis codes developed in DegreeTutors courses.

Transmission-tower | DegreeTutors.com

Truss Analysis using the Direct Stiffness Method

In this tutorial we examine the Direct Stiffness Method and work our way through a detailed truss analysis. By the end of this complete introduction, you should understand the basic ideas behind why the method works, how to implement it for truss analysis and you should understand the power and scalability of the technique. Once understood, the direct stiffness method opens the door to structural analysis of large scale complex structures.

Understanding Structural Dynamics post | DegreeTutors.com

Understanding Structural Dynamics and Inertia

By the end of this post you’ll understand when and why a dynamic analysis is performed instead of a (usually more straightforward) static analysis. Although we typically encounter static loading, dynamic loads occur with sufficient frequency that we need to understand how to assess their influence on a structure. Typical forms of dynamic loading can include loading due to earthquakes, wind, vehicle or pedestrian traffic or wave loading on coastal or offshore structures.

Shear-and-moment-diagrams-example-featured-image| DegreeTutors.com

Shear and Moment Diagrams – An Ultimate Guide

Shear force and bending moment diagrams tell us about the underlying state of stress in the structure. Determining shear and moment diagrams is an essential skill for any engineer. Unfortunately it’s probably the one structural analysis skill most students struggle with most. So in this post we’ll give you a thorough introduction to shear forces, bending moments and how to draw shear and moment diagrams. By the end of this post you’ll know a lot more about shear forces and moment moments then when you started.

Propped cantilever plastic hinge 4 | DegreeTutors.com

Yielding, Plastic Deformation and Moment Redistribution in Beams (2/2)

In this tutorial, we’re going to work out exactly how to determine the plastic moment capacity of a cross-section. We’ll also explore the concept of moment redistribution with an illustrative example. By the end of this post you’ll be able to calculate the plastic moment capacity of any cross-section and understand in detail how moment redistribution occurs in a structure and ultimately how collapse can occur as a result of hinge formation.