| CODE | TET2006 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Mechanical Structures for Technology | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Technology and Entrepreneurship Education | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Most technological products consist of a structure made of tangible materials. The design of the structure influences the product's functional behaviour, its strength, its stability and its performance under the action of loads. The ability of a product to perform a desired function, as well as its functional reliability, therefore, do not depend only on the materials chosen for its manufacture, but also on how these are shaped and linked to form a well-designed structure. This study unit presents thorough analytical methods to study the behaviour of mechanical structures in terms of parameters like forces, moments and stresses. Some of the structural elements and structures tackled in this unit are: columns, beams, trusses, portal frames and arches. The methods of solution presented employ either a mathematical or a graphical approach, or a combination of the two. Study-Unit Aims: 鈥� To introduce the basic concepts of structural mechanics whilst referring to real-life design examples; 鈥� To expose the mathematics underpinning the subject; 鈥� To develop the learner's ability to analyse statically determinate structural elements and design such simple elements. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. explain static equilibrium; 2. distinguish between the structural behaviours of tension, compression, shear and bending; 3. explain the differences between dead and live loads and between point, uniformly distributed and uniformly varying loads; 4. differentiate between roller, pinned and fixed supports; 5. classify pin-jointed trusses between perfect, imperfect and redundant trusses; 6. explain the design method of permissible stress; 7. develop, for a laterally-loaded beam, relationships between the applied load, the shear force and the bending moment; 8. develop the engineer's theory of bending; 9. study the behaviour of elastic column under axial load, explaining Euler's critical buckling load and the concepts of effective length and slenderness ratio; 10. consider the bending deflection resulting in determinate beams and pin-jointed trusses. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. apply the implications of static equilibrium to solve non-concurrent systems; hence evaluate the reactions of statically determinate structures; 2. use the concepts of tension, compression, shear and bending to explain the mode of action of columns, beams, trusses, portal frames and arches; 3. apply the proper restraints provided by roller, pinned and fixed supports; interpret the effects these restraints have on the statical determinacy of the structure; 4. analyse pin-jointed trusses using the method of resolution, the method of sections, the graphical method and the method of tension coefficients - possibly extend the last method to space trusses; 5. determine the shear force and bending moment diagrams for simply supported beams, cantilevers, determinate multi-span hinged beams, determinate portal frames and determinate arches; 6. calculate the bending stresses in beams; 7. employ the permissible stress design method to select suitable structural sections in steel and timber to serve as beams; 8. use appropriate graphs to find the permissible stress reduction factors for varying slenderness ratios; calculate the modified permissible stress for steel and timber columns; calculate the safe axial load capacity of steel and timber columns; 9. employ the permissible stress design method to select suitable structural sections in steel and timber to serve as columns; 10. select suitable structural sections (British or European) to serve as ties and struts in pin-jointed tusses; 11. use the Moment-Area method to calculate the deflection of determinate beams and cantilevers; 12. use the Unit-Load method to calculate the deflection of perfect pin-jointed trusses. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - DALLI, F. X. 2012. Graphical Statics, Francis X. Dalli. - RYDER, G. H. 1992. Strength of Materials in SI units, Macmillan Press. - STEPHENS, R. C. 1970. Strength of Materials: Theory and Examples, Edward Arnold. - WILLIAMS, M. S. & TODD, J. D. 2000. Structures: Theory and Analysis, Palgrave Macmillan. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Study-units: TET1008; TET1013. Co-requisite Study-unit: TET2008. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Tutorial | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Lawrence Farrugia |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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