Structural Mechanics

(CSE 20201)

Dr. Songye ZHU

Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Tel: 3400 3964 Office: ZS926

Email: ceszhu@polyu.edu.hk

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 1

Lecture 1

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 2

Structural Engineering
• Structures refer to a system of connected Elements used to
support a set of Loads

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 3

Structural Element

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 4

Structural Elements
• Ties and Struts • Arches

• Beams, Columns • Shell & Domes

• Walls, Plates/Slabs • Cables & Membranes

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 5

Beam, Column, Brace

Beam
Column

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 6

Tall Buildings

International Financial Bank of China Tower, Sears Tower,

Center, HK HK Chicago

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 7

Towers

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 8

Tower

• Canton Tower
– Roof: 459.2 m
– Antenna: 600 m
– Floor # : 108

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 9

Arches

Zhao-Zhou Bridge, China

Cold Spring Bridge, USA

Arch of Triumph,
Paris

Harbor Bridge, Sydney

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 10
Domes & Shells

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 11

Membranes

Burj al Arab, Dubai

Rothenbaum Tennis
Stadium, Hamburg
(Retractable roof)

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 12

Cable-supported Structures

Tsing Ma Bridge, HK

Stonecutters Bridge, HK Preseli TV-Transmitter, UK

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 13

Dam

Official name Hoover Dam

When completed in 1935,
Impounds Colorado River the world's largest electric
Locale Nevada-Arizona USA power producing facility,
the world's largest concrete
Length 1244 ft (379 m)
structure.
Height 726.4 ft (221 m)
Opening date 1936

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 14

10 Tallest Buildings
www.skyscraperpage.com

828m

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 15

Structures
Kingdom Tower,
1009 m

Faster, Higher, Stronger Taller, Longer, Larger

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 16

Structural Disasters

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster, 1940

http://www.enm.bris.ac.uk/research/nonlinear/tacoma/tacoma.html#file

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 17

Structural Disasters
Kobe
Earthquake
1995

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 18

Structural Disasters
• I-35 Bridge, USA, 2007 • Harbin, China, 2012

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 19

Structural Disasters

9-11 World Trade Center, 2001

http://911research.wtc7.net/wtc/evidence/videos/index.html#witnesses

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 20

Structural Disasters

• Progressive collapse

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 21

Structural Disasters
2008 Wenchuan Earthquake

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 22

Structural Disasters

• Typhoon and Tsunami

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics

From REUTERS/Stringer 23
Structural Disasters
• Accident at Russia’s biggest hydroelectric (Aug 17, 2009)
Courtesy of Euler Cruz and Rafael Cesario)

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 24

Structural Disasters

THE HONG KONG Research Center for

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY Urban Hazards Mitigation

• Department of Civil and Structural Engineering

• Department of Land Surveying and Geo-informatics
• Department of Applied Social Science

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 25

Structural Design
Code of Hammurabi, ancient Babylon (1795-
1750 BC)
• Paragraph 228: If a builder builds a house for someone
and completes it, he shall give him a fee of two shekels Rights
in money for each sar of surface.

• Paragraph 232: If it ruins goods, he shall make

compensation for all that has been ruined, and
inasmuch as he did not construct properly this house
which he built and it fell, he shall re-erect the house
from his own means. Obligations
• Paragraph 229: If a builder build a house for some one,
and does not construct it properly, and the house which
he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall
be put to death.

Basalt stele

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 26

Structural Design

• Three aims of structural design

– Safety
• Strength
Require Structural Analysis
• Stability
– Serviceability
• Limits on deformation
• Function, insulation, shape …
– Economy
• Construction cost vs. maintenance cost
– Esthetics

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 27

Structural Analysis

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 28

Loads on the Structures

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 29

Loading conditions

• Design loading for a structure is often specified

in codes
– General building codes
– Design codes

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 30

Example 1
• The floor beam in the figure is used to
support the 1.83m width of lightweight
plain concrete slab having a thickness of
102mm
• The slab serves as a portion of the ceiling
for the floor below & its bottom coated
with plaster
• A 2.44m high, 305mm thick lightweight
solid concrete block wall is directly over
the top flange of the beam
• Determine the loading on the beam
(measured per m length of the beam)

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 31

Example 1

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 32

Example 1- Solution

• Using the data in Table 1.2 & 1.3:

concreteslab : (0.015 kN/m2 /mm)(102mm)(1.83m) = 2.80kN / m
plaster ceiling : (0.24kN / m 2 )(1.83m) = 0.44kN / m
block wall: (16.5kN / m 3 )(2.44m)(0.305m) = 12.26kN / m

Total = 2.80 + 0.44 + 12.26 = 15.50kN / m

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 33

Analysis Tools
• Statics
– study how forces are developed to create
equilibrium
• Free Body Diagrams (FBD)
• Equations of Equilibrium (force & moment d
resultant =0)
• Mechanics of Materials
– Predict how these loads cause stresses and
deformations in various materials and their
configuration
• Stress – the average amount of force exerted
per unit area
Cable
Force F = ?
Stress σ= ?

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 34

Building materials
• Commonly used building materials
– Wood or Timber
• either temporary or permanent
– Stone or Brick
– Metal
• Steel
• Aluminium
• stainless steel
– Concrete & composites
• Reinforced concrete
• Composite steel and concrete structure
• Fibre reinforced plastic (FRP)

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 35

Structural Mechanics

• Truss
• Beam
• Frame
• Arch
• Shaft
• Column

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 36

 The End
of the Session
Many pictures contained in this presentation were either downloaded from the Internet,
or scanned in from books.

CSE20201 Structural Mechanics 37