Structural Engineering Course

Lesson 1 • Forces, Equilibrium, and Free Body Diagrams

Applies Newton's laws to structural members under load. Provides the analytical backbone for all static analysis chapters.

Lesson 2 • Support Conditions and Reactions

Identifies pin, roller, and fixed supports and computes reactions. Directly enables beam and frame analysis in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Material Properties Overview

Introduces stress, strain, and elastic behavior for common structural materials. Sets the material science context for design chapters.

Lesson 4 • Introduction to Structural Systems

Defines structural engineering scope and classifies load-bearing systems. Establishes vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Wind and Snow Loads

Derives lateral and roof loads from environmental exposure. Connects meteorological data to structural demand values.

Lesson 2 • Dead and Live Loads

Defines gravity loads from self-weight and occupancy. These are the primary inputs for all structural demand calculations.

Lesson 3 • Seismic Loads and Dynamic Effects

Introduces earthquake-induced inertial forces and response spectra. Prepares students for seismic design concepts in advanced chapters.

Lesson 4 • Load Combinations and Safety Factors

Applies strength and serviceability load combination rules. Produces the governing demand values used in member design.

Lesson 1 • Method of Sections

Cuts trusses to find specific member forces efficiently. Complements the method of joints for large or complex trusses.

Lesson 2 • Truss Geometry and Classification

Identifies truss types, joint configurations, and stability criteria. Establishes the geometric foundation for force analysis.

Lesson 3 • Cable Geometry and Tension

Derives cable shape and tension under concentrated and distributed loads. Applies to suspension bridges and cable-supported roofs.

Lesson 4 • Method of Joints

Solves member forces by applying equilibrium at each joint. Provides a systematic approach for fully analyzing small trusses.

Lesson 1 • Analysis of Statically Indeterminate Beams

Solves continuous beams using compatibility and force methods. Extends analysis capability beyond simple determinate structures.

Lesson 2 • Stiffness Method Introduction

Introduces matrix stiffness formulation for beams and frames. Provides the conceptual basis for computer-aided structural analysis.

Lesson 3 • Plane Frame Analysis

Analyzes rigid and pinned frames for combined axial, shear, and moment. Bridges beam analysis to full structural system behavior.

Lesson 4 • Shear and Bending Moment Diagrams

Constructs shear force and bending moment diagrams for loaded beams. These diagrams drive all subsequent member sizing decisions.

Lesson 1 • Bolted and Welded Connections

Designs shear, tension, and moment connections using bolts and welds. Connection design completes the load path through the structural system.

Lesson 2 • Tension Member Design

Sizes steel tension members for yielding and fracture limit states. Introduces net area, shear lag, and connection efficiency concepts.

Lesson 3 • Steel Beam Design and Lateral Buckling

Designs beams for flexure, shear, and lateral-torsional buckling. Serviceability deflection checks are integrated into the design workflow.

Lesson 4 • Steel Column and Compression Design

Applies column buckling theory to design axially loaded steel members. Effective length and slenderness ratio govern compression capacity.

Lesson 1 • Slab Systems Design

Designs one-way and two-way slabs for flexure, shear, and deflection. Slab systems form the primary horizontal load-distributing elements.

Lesson 2 • Shear Design and Torsion

Designs stirrups and ties for shear and torsional demands in beams. Prevents brittle diagonal tension failures in concrete members.

Lesson 3 • Column and Footing Design

Designs tied and spiral columns under axial load and biaxial bending. Footing design transfers column loads safely to the soil.

Lesson 4 • Concrete and Reinforcement Properties

Characterizes concrete compressive strength, reinforcement yield, and bond behavior. Material properties directly set design capacity limits.

Lesson 1 • Soil Classification and Properties

Identifies soil types, index properties, and classification systems. Soil characterization drives all foundation capacity and settlement calculations.

Lesson 2 • Retaining Walls and Lateral Earth Pressure

Analyzes active and passive earth pressures and designs gravity and cantilever retaining walls. Stability checks prevent overturning and sliding failures.

Lesson 3 • Deep Foundation Systems

Designs driven piles and drilled shafts for high-load or poor-soil conditions. Covers capacity from skin friction and end bearing.

Lesson 4 • Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations

Calculates ultimate and allowable bearing capacity for spread footings. Ensures foundations do not fail by shear or excessive settlement.

Lesson 1 • Multi-Degree of Freedom Systems

Extends dynamic analysis to MDOF structures using modal superposition. Enables realistic modeling of multi-story building response.

Lesson 2 • Single Degree of Freedom Systems

Models structures as SDOF oscillators to derive natural frequency and damping. SDOF concepts underpin all multi-degree dynamic analysis.

Lesson 3 • Response to Dynamic Loading

Computes structural response to harmonic, impulse, and arbitrary loads. Establishes the analytical tools for earthquake and wind dynamic analysis.

Lesson 4 • Seismic Design Principles

Applies ductility, redundancy, and regularity concepts to seismic design. Translates dynamic analysis results into practical detailing requirements.