|
Optimum Design of Indeterminate Beams
Overview
The design and analysis of indeterminate frames
and beams are important problems encountered by all structural engineers. With
modern computer programs, analysis is not a difficult problem. Design is more
complex and less amenable to programming. For efficient design, something
between the following two extremes is needed:
(1)
The first
intuitive approximation of the structural design engineer, without any
additional information, and
(2)
A complex computer program where, of necessity, the original programmer
has made general decisions/assumptions which seriously impact the diverse design
criteria for which it is used, thereby constraining those who use the program.
This course is designed to assist structural
engineers from all fields - civil to aeronautical - in developing initial design
concepts. This is accomplished by determining an idealized optimum section
property distribution for each of the most critical loading conditions. Even
though, for many large structures encountered by civil engineers, it is
impractical to vary the section properties continuously in accordance with the
idealized optimum, it is very helpful to know what that idealized distribution
is, so that it can be approximated within the limits of practicality.
Because the design of Optimum Beams - considered
in this course - is a special case of the general theory, "Optimum Design of
Indeterminate Frames", the general theory is briefly covered in this course.
The student is assumed to be familiar with basic
strength analysis theory and elementary calculus.
The student must take a
multiple-choice quiz consisting of fifteen questions at the end of
this course to obtain PDH credits.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and
skills:
-
Development of efficient preliminary design concepts, using idealized, minimum
weight designs as goals for comparison.
-
Development of multiple methods for quickly locating inflection points for
simple optimum beams, before either the specific loading or the section
properties are specified.
-
How to
convert statically indeterminate beams into determinate beams by locating the
inflection points.
-
Methods for determining section properties for idealized optimum beams.
-
Introduction to general methodology and equations for Optimum Design of
Indeterminate Frames.
Course
Click on the following PDF attachment to review the
course "Optimum Design of Indeterminate Beams" prior to taking a
quiz for credit.
"Optimum Design of Indeterminate Beams" (204 KB)
Many of the concepts and
equations in the
course "Optimum Design of Indeterminate Beams" are from my original
work titled Optimum Design of
Intermediate Frames, W.B. Readey, Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, Vol. 21, No. 9,
Sept. 1954, pp. 615-620. Copyright © 1954 by the Institute of the
Aeronautical Sciences. Reprinted with the permission of the American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.
Having Trouble Downloading the PDF File?
Right click on the link. Select "Save Target As..."
Then save on your desktop. To view the file, double click the icon on your
desktop and return to this page to take the quiz.
You may need Acrobat Reader to view this document.
Click on the link below to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.
To obtain PDH credits for this course, you will need to take a quiz for
credit. Click on the link below.
(To take the quiz,
your web browser must be set to accept cookies. See how to
check your cookie settings.)
 
|
