Mechanics of Structures
72 hours face to face + blended
One teaching period or equivalent
Hawthorn
Overview
The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the basic principles of equilibrium and provide an environment where they can learn about and evaluate the behaviour of structural members under applied loads; in particular, structural behaviour of members under axial load, shear force and bending actions.
Requisites
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Pathways Teaching 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
01-July-2024
27-September-2024
27-September-2024
Last self-enrolment date
14-July-2024
Census date
26-July-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
16-August-2024
Results released date
08-October-2024
Pathways Teaching 3
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
21-October-2024
31-January-2025
31-January-2025
Last self-enrolment date
03-November-2024
Census date
15-November-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-December-2024
Results released date
11-February-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Discern and determine the magnitude of loads acting on simple structural members
- Analyse rigid body equilibrium including: <br /> a) Construct free body diagrams showing the function of simple structural elements <br /> b) Analyse and evaluate the force(s) or moment(s) required to maintain a structure in equilibrium <br /> c) Analyse and evaluate external reactions on structural members under applied loading <br /> d) Construct and evaluate axial force, shear force and bending moment diagrams for simple beams
- Analyse the behaviour of structural members including: <br /> a) Analyse and evaluate section properties for simple cross sections <br /> b) Analyse and evaluate internal axial stresses, shear stresses and bending stresses in structural members such as beams, trusses, ties, struts, shafts and bolts
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Lecture | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 10 weeks | 20 |
| On-campus Practical | 2.00 | 2 weeks | 4 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 6.50 | 12 weeks | 78 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | Individual | 25% | 1,2,3 |
| Laboratory Report | Individual | 30% | 2 |
| Online Assignment | Individual | 20% | 1,2,3 |
| Test | Individual | 25% | 1,2 |
Content
- Forces and Equilibrium: scalars and vectors, resultant and simple reaction calculations, moment of a force, conditions of equilibrium, free body diagrams, two and three force members, principles of friction
- Structural Analysis of Trusses and Design of Simple Connections: external reaction calculations. Trusses analysis by method of joints and sections, and zero force members. Simple analysis of truss connections by axial and shear stress, including introduction to allowable stress versus ultimate stress
- Internal Loadings – axial force, shear force and bending moment diagrams. Analysis of point, uniformly distributed and non-uniformly distributed loads. Relationship between loads, shear and bending moments
- Section Properties of Structural Members: location of centroids for composite bodies. Second moments of area (moments of inertia) by integration and by the parallel axis theorem for composite areas
- Internal Stresses - shear and bending stresses: The flexural formula and bending stresses in beams, bending stress distributions across beam sections. The shear formula and shear stresses in beams, shear stress distributions across beam sections
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.