- What am
I doing here?
At the end of this course, you will be able to: analyze
structural engineering problems (beams, cables, and trusses) in a simple
and logical manner; use the concepts of stress and strain in structural
members experiencing tension, compression, shear, bending, and twisting
to evaluate the possibility of their failure; and use Mohr's circle and
the Von Mises stress to ensure that your analysis is performed from the
appropriate perspective. The first part of the course focuses on the
analysis of “rigid bodies” in equilibrium. The second part of the course
focuses on structures made of “real” materials having elasticity and
finite strength.
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- There are two textbooks
for this class: Vector Mechanics for Engineers – Statics, by
Beer, Johnston & Eisenberg (9th edition, McGraw Hill), and
Mechanics of Materials, by Beer, Johnston et al. (6th
edition, McGraw Hill). These books will be used in the first and second
parts of the course, respectively. You may also use other editions.
-
- Hey!
Why are there two books?
This material is typically presented in two different courses at
engineering schools, and these are the texts for those courses. We will
cover chapters 1 through 7 of Statics, and 1 through 8 of
Materials. Both books have great example problems and illuminating
text. If you are planning on a career in mechanical, civil, or
environmental engineering, I strongly recommend that you purchase and
keep both books, even after the semester ends.
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- How will I be graded?
Your grade will be determined by:
-
-
Assignments: 30%
- Bridge
Competition: 10%
- Exams (4
exams):
60%
-
100%
Each of
the four exams (including the “final”) will cover the specific material
from the weeks preceding it. However, all of the exams are effectively
cumulative for the course, since you cannot master the material for the
second exam unless you understand the material from the first (and so
on). Really.
The
bridge competition will be held in Newton 204 beginning at 3:45pm on
Thursday, May 2, 2013.
Can I do
written homework on Post-it notes?
Are you kidding? In the real world, neatness counts, and it
counts in this class, too. The main purpose of written
assignments is professionalism. More information concerning written
homework can be found below.
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When are the
tests?
Here is a tentative schedule of exams. Exams #1 through #3 are
currently scheduled as “in class” exams. If the entire class (including
Dr. Pogo) agrees, any exam time, date, or length can be changed (to a
two hour evening exam, for example). Such changes will not affect the
exam questions itself. In any case, the time limit for exams #1 through
#3 will not exceed two hours.
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Exam #1: Friday, February 15, 2013
(chapters 1 through 4 of
Statics)
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Exam #2: Wednesday,
March 27, 2013 (chapters 5
through 7 of Statics)
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Exam #3: Monday,
April 15, 2013 (chapters 1
through 3 of Materials)
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Exam #4: Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 8:00am - 11:00am
(chapters 4 through 8 of Materials)
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Written
Homework Rules
The entire
point of having written assignments is to help you improve your
professionalism. Therefore, unlike the CAPA portion of each weekly
assignment, your grade will be primarily based on factors other than
whether you get the right answer.
- 1) Use exactly 8˝
´
11 inch paper. I will measure it with a ruler. Do not use spiral ring
paper.
- 2) Use only one side of each
sheet
- 3) Put your name on the top of every sheet. Put the
assignment number on the top of the first page (e.g., “Applied,
Assignment #3).
- 4)
Staple all your sheets together. Paper-clips
and torn corners are not permitted.
- 5) Clearly and systematically indicate what is given,
and what is sought.
- 6) Work must progress linearly down the page. If your
solution initially meanders around the page, I expect you to recopy
your solutions.
- 7) Use a pencil. Erase errors instead of blotching
them out.
- 8) Draw and use Free Body diagrams as appropriate for
all problems. Define and use coordinate systems. Specify your choice of
“free body”. Label your forces.
- 9) Define your symbols, and
use subscripts.
Not all forces can be called “F”, not all tensions can be called
“T”, and not all normal forces can be “N”. Every symbol
must be unique and clearly defined. Make a list or table of relevant
symbols and their values when this will help me to understand your
solution.
- 10) Do not even bother to submit nonsensical results
(e.g., a negative tension in a chain or rope).
- 11) Use words and/or pictures to clarify your
method of solution and your symbol definitions.
- 12) Solutions should be symbolic. Include the initial
fundamental formulas, but don’t show every step of intermediate algebra.
If, for some reason, your solution uses numeric values, show no more
than 4 significant figures, and include units. The symbol “:=” is now
(and for the rest of your professional life) unacceptable for written
work, along with other “computational” notation (“^”, “E”, “*”, etc.).
- 13) Box your answers.
- 14) Plots should be professional and no smaller than 3
´
5 inches. Do not use default font sizes, default trendline formatting
(where every variable is apparently an x or a y), default
line widths, etc.
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- What if
I have trouble with the homework?
Come see
me during office hours (see times listed above) and I’ll try to point
you in the right direction. You may never visit office hours for help on
the same day that an assignment is due (you should have gotten help much
earlier than that, and I won’t encourage irresponsible procrastination).
Also, I know that most
of you will work in groups, and I won’t attempt to stop it. However, the
learning is in the doing. Nobody on this planet learns from copying
somebody else’s work, no matter how clear or correct it is. Every part
of every problem that you let somebody else do for you is something that
you are deciding that you just don’t want to learn. You will not have
their help on exams!
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course, students will:
-
· Be
able to analyze rigid structural engineering problems consisting of
beams, cables, and trusses in a simple and logical manner
-
· Be
able to evaluate the possibility of failure due to tension and
compression in structures made of elastic materials of finite
strength
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· Be
able to evaluate the possibility of failure due to torsion in
structures made of elastic materials of finite strength
-
· Be
able to evaluate the possibility of failure due to bending in
structures made of elastic materials of finite strength
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· Be
able to evaluate the possibility of failure due to shear in
structures made of elastic materials of finite strength
-
· Be
able to use Mohr’s circle and the “von Mises stress” to combine the
above effects in 2D and 3D, respectively, to ensure that your
failure analysis is performed in the correct coordinate system.
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