Course description
Course No.
0130301W
College
Teacher
Huiyu Sun
(孙慧玉)
Course Name
Course hours
Aerospace Engineering
English
Structural Analysis
Chinese
结构分析
Total
Theory
Experiment
80
80
Self-study
Practice
Dept.
Structural
Eng. & Mech.
Course design
1. Yes
2. No√
Course description：Describe the nature, academic status, and aims of the course (theory, ability and
technique)
1. Course nature and academic status
Structural Analysis is a compulsory course for undergraduate students majoring in aeronautical
engineering. The course covers three parts: elasticity, structural mechanics and matrix methods. It
provides the theoretical basis for learning structural design and structural experiments.
Structural Analysis is a core course not only for undergraduate students majoring in aeronautical
engineering, but also for students in engineering mechanics, and aircraft design & engineering, etc.
2. Course aims (theory, ability and technique)
The aims of the course are to construct an entire theoretical system of structural analysis for students.
The knowledge in this course is related to that in other courses. The relations and differences of
substances within the course are delivered to students. Some points of rules are extracted from the
course to students. The final goal is to improve students’ ability to tackle the problems in engineering
using the techniques learnt from the course.
Requirements for courses; ability and knowledge in advance
Calculus; Linear algebra; Mechanics of materials
Course structure explanation:
Make clear the necessary parts, optional parts, distribution of hours. Courses with experiments or
practice are expected to explain hours needed, content, scheme and functions.
The course consists of the following chapters (the sections with △ are optional parts):
1. Introduction to Structural Analysis
1.1 Flight history for human beings;
1.2 Construction and function of aircraft components;
1.3 Why Structural Analysis?
1.4 Overview of Structural Design Process.
(2 hours)
2. Basic elasticity
(12 hours)
2.1 Assumptions;
2.2 Some concepts;
2.3 Equations of equilibrium;
2.4 Geometrical equations and compatibility equations;
2.5 Physical equations;
2.6 Boundary conditions;
2.7 Saint-Venant’s principle.
3. Two-dimensional problems in elasticity
3.1 Plane stress and Plane strain;
3.2 Basic equations for plane problems;
3.3 Solution for plane problems;
3.4 Inverse and semi-inverse methods.
(8 hours)
4. Torsion of solid sections
4.1 Prandtl stress function solution;
4.2 The membrane analogy;
4.3 Torsion of a narrow rectangular strip;
4.4 St. Venant warping function solution.
(8 hours)
5. Introduction to energy principles
(10 hours)
5.1 Strain energy;
5.2 Complementary strain energy;
5.3 The principle of virtual displacements and the principle of the stationary value of the total potential
energy;
5.4 The principle of virtual forces and the principle of the stationary value of the total complementary
energy;
5.5 Application of energy principles to structural analysis.
6. Bending of open and closed, thin-walled beams
6.1 Introduction;
6.2 Sign conventions and resolution of bending moments;
6.3 Direct stress distribution due to bending;
6.4 Load intensity, shear force and bending moment relationships;
△6.5 Deflections due to bending;
6.6 Approximations for thin-walled sections.
(8 hours)
7. Shear of beams
(6 hours)
7.1 General stress, strain and displacement relationships for open and single cell closed section
thin-walled beams;
7.2 Shear of open section beams;
7.3 Shear of closed section beams.
8. Torsion of beams
(4 hours)
8.1 Torsion of closed section beams;
8.2 Torsion of open section beams.
9. Structural idealization
9.1 Principle;
9.2 Idealization of a panel;
9.3 Effect of idealization on the analysis of open and closed section beams.
10. Matrix methods
10.1 Notation;
10.2 Stiffness matrix for an elastic spring;
10.3 Stiffness matrix for two elastic springs in line;
10.4 Matrix analysis of pin-jointed frameworks;
10.5 Application to statically indeterminate frameworks;
10.6 Matrix analysis of space frames;
10.7 Stiffness matrix for a uniform beam;
10.8 Finite element method for continuum structures.
(6 hours)
(16 hours)
Teaching methods (Lectures, practice, etc)
The course is delivered using multimedia PPT and blackboards. Some examples are illustrated to
show the points of knowledge in each chapter. Problems of new concepts, principles and methods are
assigned as homework.
Forms of examination and requirements
Structure of the final grade(including presence, class performance, ), focus of exam, forms of
exam(test, interview, final report, etc)
The final grades are composed of three parts: 15% based on attendance, 15% based on homework
assignments, and 70% based on a final exam. For the final exam, books and notes are generally closed.
Title
Textbook
References
Publisher
Author
Year
Butterworth-Heinemann
T.H.G.
Megson
2007
Title
Publisher
Author
Year
Theory of Elasticity
McGraw-Hill
Timoshenko
and Goodier
1970
Theory and Analysis of
Flight Structures
McGraw-Hill
Rivello
1969
Aircraft Structures
Engineering Students
for
Website
Under construction
Course
members
Huiyu Sun, Zhiyu Shi, and Bin Zhang, etc.
College
Aerospace Engineering
Price
Price