The bestselling structural design reference, fully updated and revised
Simplified Engineering for Architects and Builders is the go-to reference on structural design, giving architects and designers a concise introduction to the structures commonly used for typical buildings. The clear, accessible presentation is designed to give you the essential engineering information you need without getting bogged down in excess math, making this book an ideal reference for busy design professionals. This new 12 th edition has been completely revised to reflect the latest standards and practices. The instructor site includes a complete suite of teaching resources, including an instructor's manual.
Structural design is an essential component of the architect's repertoire, and engineering principles are at the foundation of every sound structure. You need to know the physics, but you don't necessarily need to know all of the math. This book gives you exactly what you need without losing you in a tangle of equations, so you can quickly grasp and apply the material.
Understand fundamental concepts like forces, loading, and reactions
Learn how to design for wood, steel, or concrete construction
Study structural design standards and develop sound structural systems
Determine the best possible solutions to difficult design challenges
The industry-leading reference for over 80 years, Simplified Engineering for Architects and Builders is the definitive guide to practical structural design.
This part presents various considerations regarding the general nature and performance of structures for buildings. A major part of this material consists of basic concepts and applications from the field of applied mechanics as they have evolved in the process of investigation of the behavior of structures. The purpose of studying this material is twofold: first, the general need for a comprehensive understanding of what structures do and how they do it; second, the need for some factual, quantified basis for the exercise of judgment in the process of structural design. If it is accepted that the understanding of a problem is the necessary first step in its solution, this analytical study should be seen as the cornerstone of any successful, informed design process.
A second major concern is for the sources of the tasks that structures must undertake, that is, for what structures are basically needed. These tasks are defined in terms of the loads that are applied to structures. Considerations in this regard include the load sources, the manner of their application, the combinations in which they occur, and the quantification of their specific values.
Finally, consideration must be given to the possible forms and materials of structures. These concerns affect the determination of the construction of the structures, but they also relate to the general design development of the buildings.
This part provides an introduction; the remaining parts of the book present amplifications of all the issues raised in this part.
Chapter 1 Investigation of Forces, Force Systems, Loading, and Reactions
Loads deriving from the tasks of a structure produce forces. The tasks of the structure involve the transmission of the load forces to the supports for the structure. The external loads and support forces produce a resistance from the structure in terms of internal forces that resist changes in the shape of the structure. This chapter treats the basic properties and actions of forces.
1.1 Properties of Forces
Force is a fundamental concept of mechanics but does not yield to simple definition. An accepted concept is that a force is an effort that tends to change the form or the state of motion of a physical object. Mechanical force was defined by Isaac Newton as being a product of mass and acceleration; that is,
. Gravitational attraction is a form of acceleration, and thus weightâa force we experienceâis defined as
with g being the acceleration of gravity. Physical objects have weight, but more precisely they have mass, and will thus have different weights when they experience different gravitational effects, for example, on the surface of Earth or on the surface of the moon.
In U.S., aka imperial, units gravity force is quantified as the weight of the body. Gravity forces are thus measured in pounds (lb) or in some other unit such as tons (T) or kips (one kilopound, or 1000 pounds). In the SI (International System, aka metric) system force is measured in a more scientific manner related to the mass of objects, the mass of an object being a constant, whereas ...
