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Unit of study_

CIVL9206: Steel Structures 1

This unit of study is concerned with the behaviour and design of steel structures. Statics provided the fundamentals of equilibrium upon which most structural engineering is based. Structural Concepts and Structural Analysis provided information on the loads (actions) on a structure and how structures resist these actions with a resulting distribution of internal actions (bending moments, shear forces, axial forces; BMDs, SFDs and AFDs). Structural Mechanics considered how these internal actions resulted in stresses and strains in members. Materials considered the microscopic and molecular structure of metals to determine its inherent mechanical properties such as yield stress. This unit of study will then combine the knowledge of stresses, material properties of steel, structural analysis, and loading, and consider new concepts and modes of failure, such as local and flexural torsional buckling, combined actions and second-order effects to understand the behaviour of steel members and frames, and how this behaviour is accounted for in the design standard AS 4100. Both the units of study "Steel Structures 1" and "Concrete Structures 1" can be considered the culmination of the various elements of structural engineering begun in "Engineering Mechanics" in first year, and is further developed in "Civil Engineering Design" in final year. More advanced topics, such as plate behaviour, advanced buckling and connection design, are considered in the final year elective subject "Steel Structures 2". It is recognised that not all students intend to become consulting structural engineers. The unit of study is designed so that students who make an effort to understand the concepts are most capable of passing. Students who are planning a career in the consulting structural engineering profession should be aiming at achieving a Distinction grade or higher.

Code CIVL9206
Academic unit Civil Engineering
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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CIVL9110 AND CIVL9201 AND CIVL9235

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate competence in designing a simple structure to AS 4100
  • LO2. demonstrate familiarity with the behaviour of steel structures, in particular the various forms of failure for members and connections under tension, compression, bending and combined actions
  • LO3. understand the various types of buckling that occur, and the parameters which affect buckling
  • LO4. determine strength capacities of individual members to AS 410
  • LO5. follow most other structural design specifications, given their similarities to AS 4100.