CIVE 501Approximate Analysis of Structures

Faculty: Engineering
Last listed: 1977–78

No longer offered. It’s in Waterloo’s scanned calendars from 1970–71 to 1977–78; the 1995–96 to 2023–24 calendars are on ucalendar.

Survey of alternative methods of structural analysis of many structural forms. Reliability and economy of approximate design. Newmark’s beam analysis. Vianello’s analysis of buckling and vibration. Benjamin's sketch method: Shear wail structures. Strip method for plates.

As printed in the 1976–77 to 1977–78 calendars, read by OCR; the scanned page is the original.

Check it elsewhere

In the scanned calendars

How it read in each calendar from 1970–71 to 1977–78, newest first. The text is OCR of the scanned pages; years whose wording matches are shown once, from the clearest scan. Each year links to its page on uwloo and to that page of the scanned PDF.

1976–77 to 1977–78 2 calendars

1970–71 to 1975–76 6 calendars

Simple alternative methods of structural engineering that provide independent checks on more complex analyses or designs are surveyed. Such methods are becoming necessary with the growing automation of structural computations. A deliberate development of understanding of structural behaviour (structural intuition) is attempted. The role of approximation is discussed at all levels, ranging from accepted standard approximations in so-called exact structural mechanics to more intuitive proportioning of structures. Approximate equivalence of continuous and discrete systems: cantilever method, equivalent beams, plates and shells, trusses and grids. Finite element methods; Newmark’s analysis and further simplifications. Moment balancing, load balancing and related methods of pragmatic design. Methods of negligible redundants: portal methods, area method in shells.