Practical Approximate Analysis of Beams and Frames

Book excerpt: Sponsored by the Engineering Mechanics Institute of ASCE Practical Approximate Analysis of Beams and Frames presents a new method for structural engineers to approximately analyze the mechanics of beams and frames. The approach, which complements the results produced by computer software, can be used to sketch deflected shapes and to estimate moment diagrams, deflections, influence lines, and moments of inertia, as well as to establish a framework for nondestructive evaluation of framed structures. This method is relatively short and simple, robust with good accuracy, memorable, and applicable to practical problems. With this approximate analysis method, engineers sketch the deformations of beams and frames, with an emphasis on qualitative precision. The resulting sketches reveal the behavior of structures in a visually rich and informative way. One advantage of this method is that it localizes all dimensional quantities in a few factors, so that only relative stiffness parameters need to be estimated. Each chapter contains examples of this method applied to produce summaries and ranges of behavior in a wide variety of realistic situations. For practicing structural engineers, the methods in this book are an illuminating and time-saving addition to traditional computer calculations. For engineering students, these methods emphasize the conceptual aspects of mechanical analysis, supplementing their training in structural analysis software programs.