THEORY OF STRUCTURES
Spring 2013 – C.E. Room 118
TR 2:20 pm – 3:35 pm
Professor: Lee L. Lowery, Jr., PhD, P.E.
Office: Old CE Building, Room 139C
Phone: 979-845-4395 (Office), 979-775-5401 (Home)
e-mail: Lowery@tamu.edu
Office Hours:
NOTE: Office hours listed below are suspended on the day before a major exam, giving me time to make it out. Do not wait until the day before a major exam for help, unless the tutor has office hours on that day.
- MWF 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
- TR 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Half of my time is spent teaching CVEN 345 and CVEN 446. During the remaining hours I am a departmental adviser and have limited time for tutoring. Please plan on assistance either during my office hours, or see the tutor during their office hours. On MWF from 10:00 to 11:30 and on TR from 12:30 until 2:20 pm I am preparing for my classes, so please note that you won’t find me during those hours. Don’t wait until just before class to get help or you likely won’t get any.
Professor: Lee L. Lowery, Jr., PhD, P.E.
Office: Old CE Building, Room 139C
Phone: 979-845-4395 (Office), 979-775-5401 (Home)
e-mail: Lowery@tamu.edu
Office Hours:
NOTE: Office hours listed below are suspended on the day before a major exam, giving me time to make it out. Do not wait until the day before a major exam for help, unless the tutor has office hours on that day.
- MWF 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
- TR 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Half of my time is spent teaching CVEN 345 and CVEN 446. During the remaining hours I am a departmental adviser and have limited time for tutoring. Please plan on assistance either during my office hours, or see the tutor during their office hours. On MWF from 10:00 to 11:30 and on TR from 12:30 until 2:20 pm I am preparing for my classes, so please note that you won’t find me during those hours. Don’t wait until just before class to get help or you likely won’t get any.
Teaching Associates:
Tutoring will be done by 4 graduate students. They are located in the Old Civil Engineering Building room 030 (in the basement). All of them are capable of tutoring you in CVEN 345. Click here for their hours, which run from 10 AM to 10 PM except on Friday.
Office: Old Civil Engineering Building
Room: 030 (In the basement)
Office Hours for CVEN 345 Assistance: Click here
Textbook: The textbook is excellent – one of the best: Kassimali, Structural Analysis. 4th Edition. CENGAGE Learning.
Looking for a used textbook?
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Note that the internet is a thieves paradise. If they won’t show you the cover, check the ISBN number carefully. |
4th edition 2010 ISBN Number
Note that they have a very inexpensive International Edition, but it is all SI, whereas in the U.S. edition, all example problems and half of the homework problems are U.S. customary units. |
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| AbeBooks.com $123 | ||
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| Textbooks.com $144 |
Catalog Description:
Theory of Structures. (3-0). Credit 3. Structural engineering—functions of structure, design loads, reactions and force systems; analysis of statically determinate structures including beams, trusses and arches; energy methods of determining deflections of structures; influence lines and criteria for moving loads; analysis of statically indeterminate structures including continuous beams and frames. Prerequisites: CVEN 302 or registration therein; CVEN 305.
Course Objectives:
- To introduce students to the general behavior of statically determinate and indeterminate structures and determination of forces therein. Construction of influence lines.
Learning Outcomes – This course emphasizes the following ABET Learning Outcomes. Note that the letters refer to those used by ABET.
(a) Ability to apply knowledge of basic mathematics, science, and engineering.
Course Prerequisites:
To take CVEN 345, you must have been admitted to upper level in Civil Engineering, have received a passing grade (no D’s, F’s or I’s) in CVEN 305, and be registered or have already passed CVEN 302.
Course Assessment:
- Graded major exams (Quiz A, Quiz B, Final Exam = 3 @ 30% each) for 90% of final grade.
- Graded homework assignments, Readiness Assessment Tests (RATs), Class Participation, Attendance, Projects (all of equal value) = 10% of final grade.
Syllabus Information:
- Class Expectations
- General Information Regarding Format for Exams, Quizzes, and Homework
- Where to get help for 345
- Grading
- Make-up exams
- Attendance
- Illness
- Academic Dishonesty Policy
- Finally, click here!
Resources available to the student:
- Instructor of record: Dr. Lee L. Lowery, Jr.
- Teaching associate:
- CE 345 File Server/Grades Server <—- CLICK HERE FIRST
- List of homework problems and pop quizzes assigned during the semester.
- Computer software (Visual Analysis, Mastan2, RISA-2D, Excel, EES)
- RISA-2D – Educational (limited) copy of commercial structural analysis program
- MASTAN2 – Free structural analysis program – very good
- Computers in the Civil Engineering Computer Labs
- Old Exams including those from this semester after being graded
- Class lectures and notes posted during the Spring 2013 semester
- Class lectures and notes posted during the Spring 2011 semester
- Class lectures and notes posted during the Fall 2008 semester
- Class lectures and notes posted during the Spring 2005 semester
- Tutoring and Student use of the solution manual
- Access to the Civil Engineering Apps Server
- Seating Chart
- First few homework problems
- EES (Engineering Equation Solver) Video here
The correct time (to the nanosecond)
Course Schedule: Please note that the course syllabus will be revised throughout the semester. Please do not work any problems ahead of the date due. Some may be dropped, others that are better (in my opinion) may be substituted.
NOTE! Homework problems have changed since you last looked at this list. Do not work your next problem set until you check this out.
| Day Date (Class #) |
Material covered | Reading Assignment | Daily Problem Assignments See due dates for assigned homework problems below. Click on hot links for hints on the problem. |
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Week 1 |
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| Tuesday Jan 15 (Class 1) |
Introduction, Design Loads Read Chapters 1 and 2 |
Chapter 1 |
Start working your homework problems. See assigned problems and due dates below. |
| Thursday Jan 17 (Class 2) |
Loads on Structures | Chapter 2 | You should have finished some of the homework problems by now and ready to finish up this weekend. |
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Week 2 |
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| Tuesday Jan 22 (Class 3) |
Design Loads, Statics of Structures, Equilibrium and Support Reactions Read Chapter 3 |
Chapter 3 |
You should be finished with all of last week’s homework by now, and ready to hand it in today. Due today: Problems 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7 of your text. |
| Thursday Jan 24 (Class 4) |
Statics of Structures, Truss Analysis – Method of Joints, Zero force members. Review Videos |
Chapter 3 | |
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Week 3 |
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| Tuesday Jan 29 (Class 5) |
Truss Analysis – Method of Sections Read Chapter 4 |
Due today: |
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| Thursday Jan 31 (Class 6) |
Beams and Frames – Internal Forces, Equations for Shear and Moment |
Assigned Today Flipped Class Click here to watch Video 19c and be ready to take a pop quiz on it by Class 8 |
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Week 4 |
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| Tuesday Feb 5 (Class 7) |
Beams and Frames – Shear and moment diagrams, Superposition Read Chapter 5Interactive shear and moment diagram practice module |
Due today: Problems 3.3, 3.4, 4.8, 4.11, 4.14, 4.16 |
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| Thursday Feb 7 (Class 8) |
Beams and Frames – Shear and moment diagrams, Superposition |
If you don’t know how to run a structural analysis program to solve for forces in a truss or frame, a demo solving problem 4.39 is worked out here using MASTAN2. Click here for MP4, or here for HTML You will probably need to read the information on getting and running the program, and how to make the above videos fit on your screen as given here. If you already know RISA or Visual Analysis, or some other program, and can work the problems due on Class 12, you won’t need this. |
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Week 5 |
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| Tuesday Feb 12 (Class 9) |
Beams and Frames – Sketching the Deflected Shape, Indeterminacy Read Chapter 6 |
Due today: Problems 4.28, 4.39, 4.40 and 4.45. Save a copy of your answers for problems 4.39 and 4.40 for later homework assignments. |
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Thursday Feb 14 (Class 10) |
Beams and Frames – Sketching the moment diagrams, writing the equations |
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Week 6 |
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| Tuesday Feb 19 (Class 11) |
Elastic Deflections of Trusses – Method of Virtual Work Read Chapter 7 |
Due today: Problems 5.22, 5.34, 5.35, 5.46 and 5.47 |
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| Thursday Feb 21 (Class 12) |
Elastic Deflections of Beams – Method of Virtual Work |
Due today: Check the results of Problem 4.39 with a structural analysis program of your choice, and hand in a printout of the results. |
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Week 7 |
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| Tuesday Feb 26 (Class 13) |
Virtual Work; Flexibility Method Read Chapter 13 |
Due today: Problems 5.65, 5.70, 5.71, 7.3, 7.11 Check the results of Problem 4.40 with a structural analysis program of your choice, and hand in a printout of the results. |
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| Thursday Feb 28 (Class 14) |
Quiz A – held in our classroom during regular class hours. Covers everything above through homework problem 5.47 |
Exam is closed book. Bring only calculator, paper and pencils. You are also permitted to bring a copy of the Fundamentals of Engineering Reference Manual, Structural section only. No notes of any kind on them. Click here for a copy |
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Week 8 |
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| Tuesday Mar 5 (Class 15) |
Virtual Work; Flexibility Method Read Chapter 11 |
Due today: Problems 7.16, 7.18, 7.23 and 7.26 |
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| Thursday Mar 7 (Class 16) |
Virtual Work; Flexibility Method | ||
| Tuesday Mar 12 Spring Break |
Spring Break | Spring Break | |
| Thursday Mar 14 Spring Break |
Spring Break | Spring Break | |
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Week 9 |
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| Tuesday Mar 19 (Class 17) |
Flexibility Method |
Due today: Problems 7.31, 7.37, 7.41, 7.43, and 13.13 |
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| Thursday Mar 21 (Class 18) |
Influence Lines for Determinate Beams Read Chapter 8 |
NOTE CHANGE IN PROBLEMS ASSIGNED ASSIGNED TODAY Watch videos and be ready to take a quiz on the material by Class 20 INFLUENCE LINE GENERATION HTML/SWF files: MP4 files: Notes: The first influence lines are to be generated by statics. All later influence lines can be worked by statics or by Mueller-Breslau if it is to your advantage. All values are required on all influence lines for statically determinate structures unless otherwise noted. Numeric values on statically indeterminate structures are not required – only the shape of the influence diagram. |
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Week 10 |
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| Tuesday Mar 26 (Class 19) |
Muller-Breslau Principle, Use of Influence Lines, Moving Loads Influence Lines for Indeterminate Structures Read Chapter 9 and 15Highly recommended: Interactive Practice with Influence Lines (Note that only a few of the ones on the top row are working, including the Help modules, but those are still quite useful.) READ! |
NOTE CHANGE IN PROBLEMS ASSIGNED Due today: Problems 13.11, 13.27, 13.32, 13.43, and 13.47 |
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| Thursday Mar 28 (Class 20) |
Muller-Breslau Principle, Use of Influence Lines, Moving Loads, Influence Lines for Indeterminate Structures | NOTE: Last day for Q-dropping classes is 4/2/13. Click here for some idea to help you decide. Grade distributions are very close to CVEN 446 over the years. |
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Week 11 |
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| Tuesday Apr 2 (Class 21) |
Muller-Breslau Principle, Application of Influence Lines, Moving Loads, Use of Influence Lines for Multiple Wheel Loads Influence Lines of Indeterminate Structures Read Chapter 12 |
NOTE CHANGE IN PROBLEMS ASSIGNED Due today: Problems 8.5, 8.10, 8.16, 8.20, and 8.21 |
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| Thursday Apr 4 (Class 22) |
Qualitative Influence Lines for Indeterminate Structures | ||
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Week 12 |
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| Tuesday Apr 9 (Class 23) |
Quiz B – held in our classroom during regular class hours. Covers everything above through problem 13.47 |
Exam is closed book. Bring only calculator, paper and pencils. You are also permitted to bring a copy of the Fundamentals of Engineering Reference Manual, Structural section only. No notes of any kind written on them. Click here for a copy |
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| Thursday Apr 11 (Class 24) |
Approximate Analysis of Indeterminate Structures Read Chapter 12Cantilever Method |
NOTE CHANGE IN PROBLEMS ASSIGNED FOR TODAY Due today: Problems 8.29, 8.38, 8.47, 9.4, 9.6, and 9.21. |
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Week 13 |
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| Tuesday Apr 16 (Class 25) |
Stiffness Methods Read Chapter 18 |
Due today: Problems 15.1, 15.5, 15.6, 15.13 and 15.16 NOTE! |
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| Thursday Apr 18 (Class 26) |
Stiffness Methods | ||
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Week 14 |
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| Tuesday Apr 23 (Class 27) |
Stiffness Methods |
Due today: Problems 12.6, 12.13, 12.14, and 12.21 Also, set up a table of maximum moments, shears, and axial forces in members CD and DB, comparing the approximate solutions found in problems 12.6, 12.14, and those found with an exact solution using MASTAN or a similar program. Use E = 207 GPa, and W310x143 sections with A = 18.2×103 mm2 and Ixx = 348×106 mm4 for all members. Be careful not to mix your units of meters for length, with mm2 and mm4. Since MASTAN uses mm, mm2, and mm4, if you will just convert the loads to N/mm and lengths to mm, and enter E = you should be OK. Also, click here. |
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| Thursday Apr 25 (Class 28) |
Matrix Structural Analysis: Frames |
Due today: Problems 18.3, 18.5, and 18.6 |
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| Final Exam Wednesday May 8th from 1-3 pm Held in our classroom CHECK THIS DATE FOR ACCURACY HERE: Final Exam Schedules |
Final Exam – Exam is open book. Open book means only your textbook – no homework or other aids. Exam covers everything in the course, with emphasis on the materials after Quiz B. Approximate target coverage: 20% Quiz A 30% Quiz B 50% after Quiz B You are also permitted to bring a copy of the Fundamentals of Engineering Reference Manual, Structural section only. No notes of any kind on them. Click here for a copy Pick up any old leftover homework outside of my office. |
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