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LECTURE 4 (Part 2) - Forces Acting On Structures

The document outlines the various forces acting on structures, including compression, tension, torsion, bending, and shearing. It discusses the properties of materials, their behavior under load, and methods for strengthening them, such as using rebar in concrete. Additionally, it describes structural members and their classifications, emphasizing the importance of beam design in construction.

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mwelasethando444
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28 views19 pages

LECTURE 4 (Part 2) - Forces Acting On Structures

The document outlines the various forces acting on structures, including compression, tension, torsion, bending, and shearing. It discusses the properties of materials, their behavior under load, and methods for strengthening them, such as using rebar in concrete. Additionally, it describes structural members and their classifications, emphasizing the importance of beam design in construction.

Uploaded by

mwelasethando444
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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STRUCTURES

F O RC E S
FORCES ACTING ON STRUCTURES

• Compression ↓↓↓↓ - pushing force

• Tension ← → - pulling force

• Torsion ↑ ↓ -twisting force

• Bending ↑ ↑ -bending force

• Shearing ↑↓ - tearing
ANALYSING TENSION AND
COMPRESSION
• Tie – a member under tension

• A tie, strap, tie rod, eyebar, guy-wire, suspension cables,


or wire ropes, are an examples of
linear structuralcomponents designed to resist tension. It
is the opposite of a strut or column, which is designed to
resist compression.

• Strut - a member under compression

• When designing structures check for tension and


compression.

• Ask what would happen if the members broke?


• Would they move apart or cross over each other.
TESTING AND TYPES OF MATERIAL

• Terminology
• Breaks – object splits into more than one piece
• Buckles – object is still in one piece but no longer serves it’s
structural purpose
• Destructive testing – applying forces to material until it buckles or
breaks.
• The strength of material is classified according to the type and size
of force that the material can withstand before it buckles and
breaks.
• If a material can undergo high degrees of compression – high
compressive strength
• If a material can undergo high degrees of tension – high tensile
strength
• If a material can withstand a high Bending force – therefore both
high compressive and tensile strength
PROPERTIES OF MATERIAL

• Tensile strength – resistance that a material has


to being pulled apart. Eg. steel rod. Concrete has
a low tensile strength.
• Compressive strength –resistance of a material to
be squashed or compressed. Eg. Concrete has a
high compressive strength. Glass is also high in
compression- eg. building blocks
• Impact Resistance – this is the resistance a
material has to sudden impacts such as hammer
blows- glass has a very poor resistance but
polypropelene has a very high resistance to
impacts.
BEHAVIOUR OF MATERIALS

• When materials are loaded in Tension or compression –


behaves like a spring (limited movement) – returns to
original length when load is removed.
• If load is further increased –becomes permanently deformed
• Plastic deformation- does not return back to it’s original
length
• Paper clip experiment – show elastic and plastic deformation
• Essential that materials are not loaded beyond their elastic
limit
• A wide margin of safety allows for this
• When material is loaded and behaves plastically over a
period of time – known as creep eg. Chipboard remains
permanently bent over a period of time.
STRENGTHENING MATERIALS

• Materials strengthened by bending /folding


• Refer to the axis of cardboard –bending cardboard into an L-
shape – strengthens against buckling.
• Therefore beams can be made by bending/folding materials into
shapes –to support loads
• Destruction testing
• Convenience of shapes of beams for supporting other loads – not
easy to balance loads on a circular beam
• Rectangular and “I” beams –flat on top to support loads
• Corrugation is a also a successful strengthening strategy-
cardboard boxes/roofing/armco barriers/shipping containers
• Reinforcing materials by adding more of the same material.
Several strips of board stuck together is less likely to buckle
under a load than a single layer of board.
STRENGTHENING MATERIALS

• Strengthen material by adding another material –


concrete – counteracts specific weakness of
original material
• Concrete has a high compressive strength but
poor tensile strength
• The use of steel reinforced bar (rebar) is added
to increase it’s tensile strength – reinforced
concrete
• Concrete beams –undergo compression and
tension. – Only necessary to reinforce beam at
the lower half of the beam.
FRAME STRUCTURES

• Components of a frame structure are known as


members
• Vertical members-columns
• Horizontal members are called beams.
CLASSIFYING STRUCTURAL MEMBERS

• By the type of force they undergo


• Members that are under compression are called
“struts”. Struts are always rigid (stiff)- if they were not
they would collapse inwards and thus be unable to serve
their purpose.
• Members that are in tension – 2 types
• Rigid – “ties” eg. Cross beams on a roof truss
• Non-rigid – “guys” eg. Ropes, cables etc.
Cantilever – a structural member that sticks out –usually
horizontally like an arm. Connected at one end only –
undergo greater force the further they are from the end that
is unsupported. Eg tree branches, balconies, modern stadium
roofs. Cantilever is thicker at the supported end.
BEAMS

• Any member that has to resist bending


• Used a great deal in bridge construction –need to
span a gap and carry a load.
• The stiffness of a beam is it’s ability to resist
bending – this depends on the material from
which it is made and the section of the beam.
• For any given material the stiffness of a simple
beam is proportional to its breadth X depth (bxd)
DESIGN OF BEAMS

• Loading beams

• Lintels
• Arches – members not under tension –keystone
effect- experiences only compressive force-use of
stone, rock to build archways
• Various sections of steel-Mittal steel/Iscor
Metal sections that are used to build frame
structures are made in a variety of profiles.
Some popular profiles are shown below.
H-profile. This profile is often used as upright
supports or columns, for example in
buildings. It resists compression very well,
and it does not bend easily.

I-profile. This profile is used for railway


tracks. The broad base provides stability.

U-profile. This is lighter than the H-profile. It


is often used to provide horizontal support,
for example in shelves. The chassis of a truck
is normally made with U-beams.

This profile is often called angle-iron, even if


it is made of metal. It has higher bending
strength than flat strips. It is light and is
often used for cross-bracing in pylons, towers
and other structures.

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