Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Structures and Mechanisms

Description

This lecture covers the analysis of static (rigid) structures and mechanisms, focusing on equilibrium, free-body diagrams, types of joints/supports, and internal loads. It also discusses trusses, frames, and the computation of internal forces and moments. The instructor explains the concepts through examples of segmented arches and cranking a winch.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Truss

A truss is an assembly of members such as beams, connected by nodes, that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assemblage as a whole behaves as a single object". A "two-force member" is a structural component where force is applied to only two points. Although this rigorous definition allows the members to have any shape connected in any stable configuration, trusses typically comprise five or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes.

Truss bridge

A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. The basic types of truss bridges shown in this article have simple designs which could be easily analyzed by 19th and early 20th-century engineers. A truss bridge is economical to construct because it uses materials efficiently.

Arch bridge

An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct (a long bridge) may be made from a series of arches, although other more economical structures are typically used today. List of Roman bridgesList of medieval stone bridges in Germany and List of medieval bridges in France Possibly the oldest existing arch bridge is the Mycenaean Arkadiko Bridge in Greece from about 1300 BC.

Through arch bridge

A through arch bridge, also known as a through-type arch bridge, is a bridge that is made from materials such as steel or reinforced concrete, in which the base of an arch structure is below the deck but the top rises above it. It can either be lower bearing or mid-bearing. Thus, the deck is within the arch, and cables or beams that are in tension suspend the central part of the deck from the arch. For a specific construction method, especially for masonry arches, the proportions of the arch remain similar no matter what the size: wider arches are thus required to be taller arches.

Statically indeterminate

In statics and structural mechanics, a structure is statically indeterminate when the static equilibrium equations - force and moment equilibrium conditions - are insufficient for determining the internal forces and reactions on that structure. Based on Newton's laws of motion, the equilibrium equations available for a two-dimensional body are: the vectorial sum of the forces acting on the body equals zero.

Related lectures (32)

Review of Statics

Covers a review of static systems, emphasizing a 4-step problem-solving approach for analyzing internal and external forces in structures.

Structural Grids: Design and Analysis

Explores forces, equilibrium, resistance, and deformations in structural grids, cables, arches, and beams.

The Art of Structures: Introduction to Architectural Structural Design

Introduces architectural structural design, covering forces, equilibrium, resistance, and various structural elements in 2D and 3D spaces.

Structural Elements: Beams and Trusses

Covers the basics of structural elements like beams, cables, arches, and trusses.

Structures and Mechanisms: Static (Rigid) Structures Log in to Mediaspace to watch this video