This text introduces engineering and architectural students to the basic techniques required for analyzing the majority of structures and the elements of which most structures are composed, including beams, frames, trusses, arches, and cables. Although the authors assume that readers have completed basic courses in statics and strength of materials, we briefly review the basic techniques from these courses the first time we mention them. To clarify the discussion, we use many carefully chosen examples to illustrate the various analytic techniques introduced, and whenever possible, we select examples confronting engineers in real-life professional practice.
As an engineer or architect involved with the design of buildings, bridges, and other structures, you will be required to make many technical decisions about structural systems. These decisions include (1) selecting an efficient, economical, and attractive structural form; (2) evaluating its safety, that is, its strength and stiffness; and (3) planning its erection under temporary construction loads. To design a structure, you will learn to carry out a structural analysis that establishes the internal forces and deflections at all points produced by the design loads. Designers determine the internal forces in key members in order to size both members and the connections between members. And designers evaluate deflections to ensure a serviceable structure—one that does not deflect or vibrate excessively under load so that its function is impaired.
