Structural Mechanics for dummies

What is Structural Mechanics?

From a fixed point of view, structural mechanics is the science that describes and predicts the conditions under which structures remain or should remain in a state of rest under the influence of different loads or forces. This means that the structure must not collapse.

Structural design

Structural design is the process of choosing the right system or frame device to support the shape or form and prevent its destruction. The support system is called a structure. The structure consists of one part or separate parts, called structural elements. Structural elements are parts of the frame that help support the structure.

Structural classification

Structures are classified according their use and need:

• Domestic and residential - Dwelling houses, hotels, motels and guest houses

• Offices and commercial - Banks, shopping centres and department stores

• Institutional and exhibitions - Hospitals, colleges and universities, museums, art galleries Warehouses, factories, power stations 

• Industrial Other structures - Bridges, towers, water towers, electric towers, offshore structures, telescopes, etc.

The purpose of a structure

The primary purpose of a structure is to transmit the load from the application point to the support center and, finally, through the foundations to the ground. objectives to be met within the constraints imposed by the client's brief, which will inevitably urge the low initial cost and low maintenance costs and vague can define functional requirements of the project. Therefore, the design process begins with an assessment of customer needs through co-operation with members of the design team project.

Project design team

The project design team normally consists of the following:

• Architectural engineers are involved in the production of structural planning models and / or computer simulations to meet the needs of customers and employees to control the project consultant engineer until the completion of the project

• Consultants execute the detailed design, supply tender documents and construction drawings, decides the material, the type of structure and shape, and design methods that will be used; supervise, inspect and approve the materials, fabrication and construction activities and check construction activity. This includes electrical structures, mechanical. heating and ventilation engineers, and quantity surveyors Surveyors and building. In some cases, the builder or contractor can also be referenced in this level.

• Builder or contractors carry out all development activities, such as earthworks, foundations, manufacturing of structural elements and frame buildings, walls, bracing, finishing, installation of equipment and services (heating and ventilation systems, and others).

The design process

The structural design itself is a combination of art and science in that it is the creation of a structural form that will accommodate the often conflicting aspects of cost, function, services and aesthetics, and be capable of being quantified to produce dimensioned details for the purpose of erection.

There are, therefore, two distinct stages in the design process as follows:

Stage 1: conceptual design and planning stage

Structural engineers draw on their experience, intuition and knowledge to make an imaginative choice of a preliminary scheme in terms of layout, materials and erection methods, based on the most economical structural form, construction and erection methods, and materials which could be used. They will examine the structural site and ensure that it is suitable for the project. The behavior of the supporting ground under the load applied by the structure should be fully investigated. Knowledge of the interaction of soil and structure is required so that the most suitable structural form and type of foundations can be chosen.

Stage 2: the detailed design stage

In this stage, the chosen scheme is subjected to detailed analysis based on the principles of structural mechanics. The resulting scheme must be consistent with the engineer's basic aim to provide a structure that satisfies the criteria! of safety and serviceability at reasonable cost. This stage of design includes:

1. idealization of the structure and any complex parts of the structure by means of mathematical models for the analysis and design process;
2. estimation of all relevant loads, and any realistic combination of loads, that produce the most critical effects on the individual elements of thestructure and on the structure as a whole;
3. design of all the structural elements, such as foundations, walls, structural frames and connections:
4. preparation of final detailed drawings, materials lists, specifications for both fabrication and construction activities, bills of quantities and tender documents

The fabrication and construction of the structure are the processes of making the individual elements of precast concrete or steel frame buildings. Structural design aims include technical, architectural and financial concepts. The primary technical aim is that the structural engineer must ensure. that the structure as a whole and its individual elements are strong enough to withstand the most critical action of the applied loads or combination of loads to which the structure will be subjected throughout its design life.

There should be no possibility of progressive collapse of the structure or its individual elements under normal and/or accidental loadings. Structural engineers need to ensure that they are familiar with issues such as the strength of material used and generate a greater consideration of serviceability, including dynamic structural response, as part of the development of a safe structural form. The design engineer also aims to increase the efficiency of the structure, and to ensure adequate resistance to fire, overturning, corrosion, etc. Financial aims look to the achievement of a minimum overall cost of the structure by striking a balance between the costs of materials, labour and the method of erection.

#Ruby Day 1 - Baby Steps

This was actually my first time learning ruby language, and it's through sketchup. These are actually example of a script on how to make stairs. However, these stairs are actually fixed, built on the origin coordinate.

How to use it:

Open up you favourie notepad editor (a simple notepad will do) or you can download Notepad++ (Notepad++ download), copy and paste this script on your notepad. Save as .rb file. This will then make the file as ruby file.

Save the file name as "stairs" (...or anything you want). Put in on your plugins folder where your computer put all of your sketchup plugins folder. It's usually situated in this path if you're using SketchUp 2014 :(C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2014\SketchUp\Plugins)

Save the file again on the notepad. Open up Sketchup.

There's a menu under the "Plugin" tab, "Draw Stairs". When you you click it it will state a command line on Ruby API, then it will execute the command. The resulting command actually produce 10 steps of stairs right on the origin.


Here's the script:

# Standard API

require 'sketchup.rb'

# Show Ruby console at start-up so we can see any programming errors

SKETCHUP_CONSOLE.show

# Add a menu item to launch our plugin.

UI.menu("Plugins").add_item("Draw stairs") {

 UI.messagebox("I'm about to draw stairs")

 # Call our new method

 draw_stairs

 }

def draw_stairs

# Create some variables

stairs = 10

rise = 8

run = 12

width = 100

thickness = 3

# Get "handles" to our model and the entities collection it contains.

model = Sketchup.active_model

entities = model.entities

#Loop across the same code several times

for step in 1..stairs

# Calculate our stairs corners

x1 = 0

x2 = width

y1 = run * step

y2 = run * (step + 1)

z = rise * step

# Create a series of "points", each a 3-item array containing x,y, and z

pt1 = [x1, y1, z]

pt2 = [x2, y1, z]

pt3 = [x2, y2, z]

pt4 = [x1, y2, z]

# Call methods on the Entities collection to draw stuff

new_face = entities.add_face pt1, pt2, pt3, pt4

new_face.pushpull thickness

end

end

It will look something like this on your notepad (or any note editor):

After executing the file it will look something like this (minus all of the other Plugins :P):

SOURCE:  Ruby Language Sketchup Tutorial - How to make stairs


GLHF!
AND ONCE AGAIN. THANK YOU GOOGLE!

"PONTENG"

Hello world.

It seems that I've actually graduated from LUCT (it was 8 months ago). So I'm not there yet. I'll be posting some of the random personal projects I've been working on on this blogspace.

It's one of my therapy besides gym. Besides, I mis-envisioned an architecture firm as a place of geniuses drafting brilliant architecture, not a drafting factory. OH WELL!

*I've just finished eating a bag of peanut, waiting for another wave of breakfast*

Moment - Chapter 2 - Le Personal Notes

Moments - Part 1 - Basic understandings of Moments

Moments - Part 2 - Basic problem solving example 

(all videos are from Khan Academy YouTube. All the credits belongs to him for the awesome videos)

Basic Loading Calculations (Beams & Slabs) 1 - Prologue - Le Personal Notes

Load Transfer From :
Roof > Slabs > Beam > Column > Floor > Foundation

2 types of loads : Imposed Load & Dead Load

Imposed Load (IL): 

• Furnitures
• Human
• Any Temporary Loads

Dead Load (DL):

• Beam
• Slab
• Column
• The weight of the building itself 

If ratio of L_x : L_y equal or smaller than 2, = one -way slab = L_x / L_y  > or =  2

If ratio of L_x : L_y bigger than 2, = two -way slab = L_x / L_y  <  2

Standard Factor Of Safety (F.O.S.) of:

• Imposed Load : 1.4 Gk
• Dead Load : 1.6 Qk
• Thus load combination formulae :  1.4 Gk  (DL) +  1.6 Qk  (IL)
• Assuming that 1.4 and 1.6 is a constant. 
• The Dead Load (DL) and Imposed Load (IL) is a variable.

Example :

(A)

1.       List out the available information (assuming that IL and DL values had been given) :

a.       IL = 2.5 kN/m²

b.      DL = 3.0 kN/ m²

c.       Density of Concrete = 24 kN/ m²

2.       Determine the type of load transfer on the slab :

a.       L_x / L_y = 9/3 = 3>2 , thus a one-way slab

3.       Determine the beam that react to the weight of the slab :

a.       Since it’s a one-way beam , only half of the slab weight acted on the beam

4.       Calculate the Combination load using the formula:

a.       Design Load, a = 1.4 Gk  (DL) +  1.6 Qk  (IL)

b.      Design Load, a = 1.4 Gk  (3.0) +  1.6 Qk  (2.5)

c.       Design Load, a = 8.2 kN/ m²

d.      *note that the answer is actually amount of weight acting on 1 m² area

5.       Calculate the Effective Area, A_eff :

a.       Effective Area, A_eff = L_x x ½ (L_y)

b.      Effective Area, A_eff = 9 x 1.5

c.       Effective Area, A_eff = 13.5 m²

6.       Calculate the Concentrated Load, W :

a.       Concentrated Load, W = 8.2 kN/ m² x 13.5 m²

b.      Concentrated Load, W = 110.7 kN

c.       Thus, the final answer, W = 110.7 kN, which is the total load acted on the beam

(B)

  

How much is the load acted each on 1m across the beam?

1.       Just simply divide the final answer from (A) with the total length of the beam.

a.       Design Load, a = 110.7 kN /  9 m

b.      Design Load, a = 0.91 kN/ m

Architecture, Power, and National Identity 1 - Prologue - Le Personal Notes

Architecture and Urban Design have been manipulated in the service of politics.

Government buildings serve as symbols of the state, much can be learnt about a political practices by observing closely of what it builds.

What actually Vernacular Architecture suppose to be :

A collective notion

Developed throughout generations

Influenced by several factors which is:

• Local materials and resources
• Climatic
• Geographical conditions
• Local rules system

Apolitical - Not interested or involved in politics 

More about Stability, homogeneity, and similarity

A static building form; it fits perfectly 

"Vernacular architecture as a static building form, which cannot be improved as it fits its context perfectly, and that its origins of building-form and method have often been forgotten" 

(based on  Rudofsky's (1964) "Architecture without Architects")

What actually Vernacular Architecture has become :

Uses local building details in a cliché way 

Simply tries to visualise an image without really attempting to ‘understand’ the native techniques and their architectural heritage

Functions to calm our image of a radically changed ‘developing world’ 

Hides the transformations that have occurred

De-politicizes the political impact that architecture could have

Most obvious example : 

Work of Renzo Piano

Hotel resorts duplicating local style and traditional building method

 (sources are from : Architecture and Identity & The Vernacular: or Towards a new Brutalism )

Six space set 1 - Prologue - Le Personal Notes

Centric -

• Centre space as the main point of entrance & exit, also allowing movement to consecutive rooms.
• Note that It consist of only singular volume, which is only connected by a single space.
• Usually the furnitures are always arranged along the walls.

Courtyard -

• also known as ATRIUM.
• One of the components of centric.
• "...An enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky... Primary meeting space..."
• Open area, rarely enclosed.
• functions similar to centric space.
• Every rooms are connected with the courtyard itself
• sometimes functions as garden, allowing sunlight

Cloister -

• " A rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcade on the inner side..."
• "...a quadrilateral enclosure..."
• centre space is inaccessible, and surrounded by walk paths.
• a radial spinal space, taken a spinal space and linked the pathway from the other end to another.

Linear -

• a single straight forward linear motion
• Single volume
• Long & narrow
• rectangular
• sometimes, bathrooms are partially enclosed

Spinal -

• addition of branches to the existing linear space
• not in a single volume, thus partitions needed to divide spaces

Serial Progression -

• The serial idea is build upon the sense of progression that often characterizes the experience of linear space..."
• "...scallop shell, chank shell, spray of fresia, pine cone..."
• addition of gradual increase/decrease space branches to the existing linear space
• series of rooms connected in different volumes

(sources are from: Purves Patterns & Neille Ramblers )