30978 - Mechanics of Solids and Structures

Academic Year 2011/2012

  • Moduli: Stefano de Miranda (Modulo 1) Francesco Ubertini (Modulo 2)
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Civil Engineering (cod. 0919)

Learning outcomes

The goal of the course is to provide the students with the fundamental concepts of solid mechanics and the methodologies for structural analysis.

Course contents

OVERVIEW

 

STRAIN ANALYSIS

Displacement, deformation and strain. Strain tensor and physical meaning. Principal strains and directions. Compatibility equations.

 

STRESS ANALYSIS

Volume and surface forces. Rigid body equilibrium. Concept of stress and stress tensor. Principal stresses and directions. Mohr's circles. Equilibrium equations. 

 

GENERAL RELATIONSHIPS

Principle of virtual works. Weak form of equilibrium and weak form of compatibility. Applications to beams.

 

ELASTICITY

Behavior of materials. Testing of ductile and brittle materials. Elastic behavior and strain energy. Linear elasticity. Isotropy. The linear elastic equilibrium problem. Superposition. Uniqueness of solution. Clapeyron's, Betti's and Maxwell's theorems.

 

FAILURE CRITERIA

Limit states and safety factors. Tresca stress criterion. Von Mises stress criterion. Failure criteria for brittle materials.

 

ST VENANT'S PROBLEM

St Venant's hypothesis and postulate. Axial loading. Pure bending. Eccentric axial loading. Torsion. Shear. Thin-walled members.

 

THEORY OF STRUCTURES

Beam model and internal forces. Constraints. Static and kinematic analysis. Funicular. Truss structures. Cross section geometry properties. Structural symmetry and asymmetry. The Elastica equation. Evaluating displacements and rotations. Statically indeterminate structures: force method and displacement method. Elastic stability. Euler buckling load.

Reinforced concrete beams.

Readings/Bibliography

- Lecture slides and notes.

- E. Viola, Lezioni di Scienza delle Costruzioni, Pitagora Editrice Bologna, 2003.

- E. Viola, Esercitazioni di Scienza delle Costruzioni, Vol. 1, Pitagora Editrice Bologna, 1993.

- E. Viola, Esercitazioni di Scienza delle Costruzioni, Vol. 2, Pitagora Editrice Bologna, 1993.

Teaching methods

The course content will be entirely covered by the lectures. The course includes some help sessions, which will cover the practical aspects of the lectures. The instructors will tutor the students. The course includes, also, at least one visit to the Materials Testing Laboratory to attend some laboratory tests of materials and structures.

Assessment methods

There will be a final examination structured in two phases: a first written exam and a subsequent oral exam. The written exam consists of a few simple exercises and will be reviewed at the presence of the students. The oral exam consists of some questions intended to assess the knowledge and understanding of the topics covered by the course.

There will be also two midterm written examinations. Students who pass both of them will be only required to take the final oral exam.

Teaching tools

The teaching tools are: overhead projector, projector and PC.

Visits to the Materials Testing Laboratory are planned.

Links to further information

http://www.dicam.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Ubertini

See the website of Stefano de Miranda