Lecture 11

Computer Methods in Civil

Engineering

Course Teacher:
Dr. Sayeed Ahmed
Consulting Engineer
MD and CEO | Bayside Analytix | SR Consulting
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Lecture 11

Topics to be Covered
• Eigenfrequency, Eigenvalue and Eigenvector
• Applications in practice

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Lecture 11

Eigenfrequency or Natural frequency

• The frequency at which a system tends to oscillate in
the absence of any external driving force.
• If an external force is applied on a structure with its
natural frequency, the displacement will be the
maximum (due to resonance)
• Important for structural engineers:
 When designing a system, its natural frequency
should not be the same as any external force
(such as earthquake or wind)
 Or, if there is a possibility of the two being very
close, the system should be designed for the
maximum effect (such as displacement, stress,
We push a swing at its natural frequency
and strain) to get maximum displacement.
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Lecture 11

Eigenfrequency or Natural frequency

• If the natural frequency of the external
force (wind, earthquake) is equal to the
structure’s natural frequency:
 The deformation will be maximum
 Bending moment, shear, stress,
strain, all will reach their peaks
• For example, when designing a bridge,
the natural frequency should not be
similar to the possible earthquake or wind
force frequency.
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Eigenvalue and Eigenvector


When a structure is subject to external force, it develops stress and strain within
the members and undergoes deformation

The extents and the directions of stress and strain depend on
 the external forces and
 the stiffness of the structural system

The designer aims to find out the maximum stress and strain so that the design is
safe under extreme cases of loading

The designer needs:
 Eigenvalue: to determine the maximum possible stress
 Eigenvector: to determine the direction of the maximum possible deformation

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Lecture 11 Ref:
https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/eigenvalue.html

Mathematics of Eigenvalue and Eigenvector

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A Simple Example
• A simple example is that an
eigenvector does not change
direction in an image
transformation
• Such a deformation may apply
to an image, a structure, etc.

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A Simple Example – Image

• The red arrow changes
direction
• The blue arrow does not
• The blue arrow is an
eigenvector because it
does not change
direction
• An eigenvector does not
change direction in a
transformation
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The Meaning of Eigenvector and Eigenvalue

• What is the use of Eigenvalue and Eigenvector?
• We can use matrices to do transformations in space
• Used a lot in computer graphics
• Face recognition or image recognition
• Eigenvector is "the direction that doesn't change direction"
• And the eigenvalue is the scale of the stretch:
• 1 means no change,
• 2 means doubling in length,
• −1 means pointing backwards along the eigenvalue's direction

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Applications of Eigenvector and Eigenvalue

• Machine learning (dimensionality reduction / PCA, facial recognition)
PCA (Principal Component Analysis)

• Designing communication systems
• Designing bridges (vibration analysis, stability analysis)
• Quantum computing
• Electrical & mechanical engineering
• Determining oil reserves by oil companies
• Construction design
• Stability of a system
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A Data Science and Machine Learning Example

• Let’s take an integer 18
• To understand the number, let’s break it down into its prime
factors such as 2 x 3 x 3
• Now we know the properties of the integer 18 such as the
following:
 Any multiple of 18 is divisible by 3.
 18 is not divisible by 5 or 7
• Similarly, Matrices can be broken down
 To show information about their functional properties Ref: https://vitalflux.com/why-when-use-eigenvalue-eigenvector/
 that are not obvious from the representation of the
matrix as an array of elements
• One of the most widely used kinds of matrix decomposition is:
 Eigen-decomposition
 we decompose a matrix into a set of eigenvectors and
eigenvalues. 11
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Applications in Civil Engineering

• Let’s look at a dynamic structural system
• We want design the bridge for all loads
and stresses (vehicles, earthquake, tidal,
etc) S
Input X Structural Output Y
• Need to find the greatest possible (external loads) system (loads and stresses)
stresses or forces on the structural (e.g. a bridge)
elements of the bridge
• Eigenvalue and Eigenvector can help us
• An example of critical buckling load of a
column at Ex 27.5 in “Numerical
Methods for Engineers by Chapra”

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Response Spectrum Analysis

• A response spectrum:
 a plot of the peak or steady-state
response (displacement, velocity or
acceleration) of a series of oscillators of
varying natural frequency, that are
forced into motion by the same base
vibration or shock
 The resulting plot can then be used to
pick off the response of any linear
system, given its natural frequency of
oscillation
 One such use is in assessing the peak
response of buildings to earthquakes
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End

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