Application of High School Mathematics in the Design of Architectural Structures

 

What: Radford University/Virginia Tech-STEM Workshop is a one-week, fully online course offered annually to 20 teachers.

The course focuses on engineering concepts directly related to Algebra I, Algebra II, Trigonometry, and Geometry.

 

When: Summer 2018 dates are June 18th - June 22nd from 5p.m. to 8p.m., live online.

Payment to You: You will be paid $135 stipend to complete this course.

 

Course Summary:
Any object has a structure that helps it withstand various environmental conditions. Generally, large man-made structures
such as airplanes, ships, buildings, and bridges, are designed by a structural engineer. A structural engineer needs to
consider various environmental conditions such as of loads, temperatures, etc., that a structure may be subjected during
its lifetime.

 

Architectural structures are the systems used in buildings and bridges, which will be the focus of this short course, even
though the presented concepts can also be applied to other types of structures.



                               Millennium Footbridge, London            Freedom Tower, New York

 

The main focus of this course will then be placed on the following two topics:

(1) Solution of equilibrium equations, consisting of three simultaneous linear equations, to compute support reactions of determinate
beams under various loading conditions; and

(2) Variation of internal forces in determinate beams and drawing the shear force and bending moment diagrams using the first and second
order equations. A graphical approach, using slope of lines, will also be introduced. It will be shown that by following a few simple
rules, the shear force and bending moment diagrams can be easily re-generated.



Distributed Loads Acting on a Floor Slab

 

Course Outline:

1.     What are architectural structures?

2.     Role of structural engineers in the design of buildings and bridges

3.     Main structural elements in buildings and bridges

4.     Different classification of loads

5.     Force and Moment

6.     Different support types

7.     External and internal forces

8.     Static equilibrium and equilibrium equations

9.     Determinate and indeterminate beams

10.  Calculation of support reactions using equilibrium equations

11.  Variation of internal forces in beams

12.  Drawing shear force and bending moment diagrams for determinate beams