MSc Structural Engineering / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Principles of Structural Engineering Design

Course unit fact file
Unit code CIVL60031
Credit rating 15
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

This is part one of the two unit course on structural engineering design. The students will be taught principles of structural engineering design so that they are prepared to tackle substantial realistic structural engineering design projects in the hands-on design unit (Practice of Structural Engineering Design) in semester 2. Building on the students’ basic knowledge of structural analysis and design, this unit will cover higher level conceptual structural engineering design topics including stability, robustness, wind loads, load combinations, and 2nd order analysis. Students will acquire detailed knowledge on specialist topics of structural analysis and design of steel, concrete and composite structures and foundations for structures. The unit will be delivered through 24 hours of formal lectures, 12 hours of problem solving tutorials and feedback, and a visit to steel fabricator. This unit will be assessed by 3 hours exam (80%) and two small pieces of coursework (20% total, 10% each). This unit will broaden the students’ perception of structural design beyond detailed analysis and calculations and develop their conceptual design abilities.

Aims

To be able to perform higher level structural engineering design activities, including selection of appropriate structural arrangements (in particular stability system) for common types of structures, determination of critical design load combinations, and identification of different methods of structural analysis to include second order effects and the associated capacity check.
To be able to carry out detailed analysis and design of common types of structures and elements that are not available in UG syllabus (composite beams, plastic analysis, yield line analysis).
To be able to carry out detailed analysis and design of some foundations for structures under seismic loads.

Syllabus

  • Structural forms & load path analysis, lateral stability & robustness requirements (2 hrs)
  • Wind load and load combinations (2 hrs)
  • 2nd order effects and methods of analysis and design (2 hrs)
  • Detailed design of composite beams to Eurocode 4 (2 hurs)
  • Visit a steel fabricator (half a day, not assessed)
  • Plastic moment capacity of structural sections; Mechanism based analysis of beams and frames; Instantaneous Centre of Rotation; Material failure theories (Rankine, Mohr, St Venant, Beltrami, Tresca, von Mises);  Effect of axial and shear forces on the plastic moment capacity of structural sections; Yield line analysis for slabs.
  • Introductory soil dynamics and estimation of soil parameters for dynamic loads.
  • Pseudostatic and pseudodynamic methods for the design of a retaining wall under seismic loads.
  • Application of the pseudostatic method to estimate the seismic bearing capacity of a shallow footing.
  • Understanding the principles of liquefaction and assessing the liquefaction hazard for a given site by using a simplified cyclic stress analysis

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written exam 80%
Report 20%

Feedback methods

  • Regular communications (messages) via Blackboard (average one per week).
  • Weekly supervised problem solving tutorial sessions.
  • Specific comments on individual coursework.
  • Video tutorials based on past exam papers.
  • Informal meetings and discussions before or after each class.
  • Emails.
  • Additional revision sessions.

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
eAssessment 10
External visits 4
Lectures 24
Project supervision 10
Tutorials 12
Independent study hours
Independent study 90

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Yong Wang Unit coordinator

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