Assignment 1: Finite Element Analysis Essay

After the analysis on the first design brought to light the zero for members, it was decided that these members should be removed. In order to combat the flex of such a simple design the decision was made to double the thickness. This design would have the same outer frame of two triangles with a height of 20 centimeters and a width of 40 centimeters. Instead of being spaced five centimeters apart the wood be bonded directly together using Gorilla Glue. Balsa wood, a very lightweight wood with properties similar to a dense foam, was used for the main supporting member. Basswood, a lightweight yet firm wood, was used for the horizontal member. The final design added a triple layer sheet of balsa wood to rear side of the truss. This balsa sheet was added for the purpose of mounting and supporting the main structure. Additionally, a five centimeter square frame of bass wood was added at the end of the boomilever to place the loading block for testing. Once this design was implemented two key issues were discovered. First, due to the properties of the bass wood and balsa wood it was obvious that the placement needed to be reversed. The bass wood should be used for the hypotenuse and the balsa wood should be used for the

With modern computational methods, most notably finite element analysis, designers are now able to simulate the response of a structure under a multitude of highly complex loading conditions. Another important aspect of these tools are their ability to solve ever increasingly complex problems in a faster time than ever before. These advanced computational tools also allow engineers to optimize designs much faster. These new optimal designs will improve the strength and stiffness of structures and lower their weight. This will not only improve a design's performance, but also help improve efficiency. These abilities are very exciting since they allow for a more fully developed and accurate picture of a structure's performance evident even in the most demanding

The inclusion of lithium in Reynolds X100 makes sure to block any dislocations within the alloys crystal structure, giving it an outstanding fatigue resistance.

It has an excellent strength to weight ratio obtained from heat-treatment used in its formation. The heat treatment used for this steel does not use quenching rather uses air cooling or air

Overall, the 1018 and 1045 steel specimens displayed similar relationships between the heat-treating procedures. The 1045 steel had a greater tensile strength in all states except for the quenched state. In general, the 1018 steel specimens were more ductile than the 1045 steel specimens in all states.

Each separate truss (of the dimensions 920x5x50mm) consisted of a Pratt truss with nine diagonal members on each side of the centre. The model was tested in sufficiently isolated condition by tutors. It successfully passed the initial weight test, and satisfactorily resisted horizontal forces. Once fitted onto the testing rig, loads were applied and increased incrementally. Slight deformation was observed before failing at 12.5 kg, at which force a collection of members failed in succession, concluding the test.

The Pratt truss bridge was originally founded by Caleb and Thomas Pratt in 1844. It is mainly used to carry trains. The biggest advantage of this bridge was its low costs for construction and the materials to construct a truss bridge are minimal. It also use materials that is cheaper and light in weight. We can easily identify a pratt truss by detecting its diagonal members, which (excluding for the very end ones) all slant down and in toward the center of the span. The pratt truss was designed by applying few laws that related to the mechanics of materials concept. The bridge is mainly built using steel girders to support the construction of the structure. The below part of bridge weight is high so, it need an enough support to prevent from

The improvement of the skyscraper structures starts from 10 floor stories to high as 150 floor stories high. The Reliance Building Chicago, USA, in 1895, 15 stories high used the semi-rigid steel frame. The semi-rigid steel frame was held together with steel beams and connected by rivets. (Bennett, P.42) The 60 stories high First Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee, USA in 1974 employed the steel belt truss with framed shear truss. This structure used the horizontal trusses at the upper and lower stories to enhance the framed shear truss. (Bennett, P.44) The Sears Tower, Chicago, USA, in 1974, 110 stories high used the Bundled tube. The bundled tubes were made up of a cluster of connected frame tubes, reinforced by steel beams at each story to increase the strength of the structure. Various tubes terminated at different level to further strengthen the bundled tubes at the center. (Bennett, P.44) The future structure was the Superframe, which can reaches at least 150 stories high. It used the concept of the Eiffel Tower with framed tubes connected by horizontal trusses. (Bennett, P.45) It was the innovation of the structural design that enables skyscrapers to reach new height. These methods include the use of

There are five major metal trusses-the Pratt, Warren, Parker, Camelback, and Pennsylvania. The Pratt truss is a simpler truss that was patented in 1844 by Thomas Pratt, an engineer. He used pins to connect the trusses together. Pratt trusses were used a lot in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and continued into the twentieth century. The Warren truss became more popular in the 1900s after engineers realized it was more structurally logical to rivet and bolt pieces together than to use pins. This truss bridge was fit for highway uses. The Parker truss, which derived from the Pratt truss, was developed in the mid-nineteenth century. It was well suited for especially long spans. The Camelback is closer to the Parker truss which could only be used for long crossings. The Pennsylvania truss is similar to the Pratt truss. It was developed in 1875 and also worked quite well for long

Warren truss has members joined only by angled cross-members. This forms equilateral truss. It is light and strong and makes an economical truss.

In the initial stages of it’s evolution, the truss took the form of a king post, a simple triangular shape, usually composed of timber with iron hardware, divided by a single vertical post connecting top and bottom chords. You can make

The structure of a truss bridge is, by design, large and spanning a large gap. The interconnecting triangular components need to be large to bear and distribute heavy forces applied to the truss. This means in certain conditions (restricted spaces), the truss bridge may not be the best option.

This report aims to describe the experiment performed to investigate the stiffness of a channel section, and in particular calculate the flexural rigidity (EI) of the beam by two different sets of calculations based on the results gained in the experiment. The EI of an object is used

Steel products were defined by several attributes which determined the product application and defined quality. Grade described the metallic (chemical) composition of the steel, or the elements added to the basic recipe of iron and carbon to create the desired properties. Product described the shape of the product, including semi-finished shapes (blooms, billets and bars) and finished shapes (wires and coils). Surface finish described the smoothness and polish that could be applied to the material’s surface to enhance presentation. Size described the latitudinal and longitudinal dimensions of the product. Structural quality described the absence of breaks in the inner metallic structure. Surface quality described the absence of cracks or seams on the surface. Because specific applications called for specific attributes, many products were customized along one or more attributes for the customer. However, of all attributes, customers valued most the grade, which determined product performance.

The choice of a design concept for a bridge foundation is guided by various factors; several of these