STATICS AND EQUILIBRIUM
Fundamental methods of analysis for statically determinate structures based on the equations of equilibrium
PREMIUM 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.
TUTORIALS
Free Truss Calculator – Quick Start Guide
This is a quick start guide for our free online truss calculator. Follow this short text tutorial or watch the Getting Started video to quickly orientate yourself with this handy free tool. We’ll walk through the process of analysing a simple truss structure. By the end, you’ll be comfortable using the truss calculator to quickly analyse your own truss structures. Students, in particular, should find it helpful as a quick and easy tool to test manual solutions against.
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.
Calculating Beam Deflection from First Principles
In this tutorial we’re going to explore beam deflection and see how we can calculate the deflection of any beam from first principles using the differential equation of the deflection curve. We’ll work our way through a numerical example before discussing how we can use superposition along with tabulated formulae to speed up the process of calculating beam deflection.
Structural Analysis
Structural analysis is the process of using mathematical and mechanical principles to determine the magnitude of internal forces in a structure. One of the main roles of a civil or structural engineer is carrying out structural analysis as the first step to designing a safe structure. In this tutorial we’ll demonstrate exactly how this process works for a real world structure.
What is a Truss?
A truss is a structure that consists of a collection of elements connected at pin joints or nodes. In theory, the pin joints provide no rotational resistance and behave as hinges. In practice this is not always the case.
In this tutorial, we’ll discuss common forms of truss, their features, approximate methods of analysis and the key assumptions that relate to our analysis.
