A Web Based Distance Learning Course In Structural Analysis

Purpose– Since the use of advanced finite element analysis (FEA) in the design of steel structures has been increasing its popularity in order to avoid unsafe or highly conservative designs, a solid know-how in computer-aided design (CAD) and engineering (CAE) codes is necessary. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive review of useful guidelines concerning modelling, simulation and result validation for the accurate performance of those analyses.Design/methodology/approach– Such guidelines are obtained from international steel design codes like Eurocode 3 and DNV, publications from experienced CAE engineers and renowned FE software companies like Ansys and Altair. Topics like mesh independence, the effect of the load sequence on the load bearing capacity and steel fracture criteria are underlined.Findings– Since the use of advanced FEA in the design of steel structures is becoming more and more traditional due to the increase of its competitiveness when compared to the use of (very) conservative design rules, a solid know-how in CAD and CAE codes is necessary.Practical implications– This work will be quite useful for structural steel stress engineers, contributing for a safer use of FEA in research and design.Originality/value– This work will be quite useful for structural steel stress engineers, contributing for a safer use of FEA in research and design.

Abstract. Self-regulated learning is essential for studying successfully at university. However, students often show deficits in their ability to learn in a self-regulated way. Consequently, it has become crucial to foster students' self-regulated learning at university. The effectiveness of such courses has primarily been investigated in regular class contexts that require physical attendance. However, web-based course formats are currently gaining in importance. Web-based courses have several advantages (e. g., that students can decide when and where they want to study). The question of whether a web-based course is as effective as an attendance-based one has yet to be answered. In a randomized intervention study (N = 186 university students) with two different treatments (attendance-based and web-based courses), it was investigated whether students in the web-based format profited to the same extent as students in the attendance-based course. Kirkpatrick's model was implemented for evaluation. The results showed that the students were very satisfied with both course formats, self-regulated learning was considered useful for studying, and the subjective and objective increases in learning were high. Furthermore, the results showed that self-regulated learning can be fostered in the web-based course as effectively as in the attendance-based course.

An accurate and consistent approach to the out‐of‐plane stability design of steel beams and structures utilising geometrically and materially nonlinear analysis with imperfections (GMNIA) and strain limits is proposed. The method is implemented using computationally efficient beam elements, with the ultimate structural resistance defined either by (i) the ultimate load factor or (ii) the load factor at which a strain limit, determined on the basis of the continuous strength method (CSM), is attained, whichever occurs first. In the present paper, the scope of this method is extended from the in‐plane design of steel structures and structural components to scenarios in which out‐of‐plane stability effects, with a focus on lateral‐torsional buckling (LTB), govern. First, two shapes and corresponding amplitudes of equivalent imperfections, which consider the combined influence of both geometric imperfections and residual stresses, for the out‐of‐stability design of steel and stainless steel members by GMNIA are established. The existing CSM strain limits for in‐plane design are then extended to allow for the influence of shear, torsion and warping, to enable their general applicability to three‐dimensional buckling problems. It is shown that employing the proposed design method together with the proposed equivalent imperfections generally provides more accurate and consistent ultimate strength predictions than traditional Eurocode design calculations and also streamlines the design process by eliminating the need for cross‐section classification and individual member design checks.

The structural analysis and design of the Heidrun tension leg platform presented many technical Challenge a that had to be overcome in a fast and efficient manner to meet the demands of a very tight schedule. Some are inherent in the nature of a compliant structure such as a TLP with its complicated interaction between the structure, the mooring system and the environment and the importance of proper weight and at ability control during the different phase a of construction and operation. However, many other a were unique to the Heidrun platform. The Heidrun hull is the first large offshore structure built entirely of high strength lightweight aggregate (LWA) concrete. The topside modules form an integral component of the structural system of the platform. The interface between the steel topside modules and the concrete hull proved to be a very complex engineering task requiring very detailed analyses, tight fabrication and installation tolerances as well as testing of a number of key components. Ringing loads were included in the structural design of the platform for the first time in an offshore structure. The transportation of the large topside modules, mounted transversely on barges, and their mating to the hull was unique. The reserve capacity built into the design to provide additional safety in the critical components of the structure. The paper presents an overview of the multitude of challenges encountered during the detail design of the platform. Introduction The Heidrun TLP introduced several structural innovations not seen previously on any offshore platform. Examples of these include the concrete Module Support Beams (MSBS) as a main structural member of the platform and for supporting the topside modules, unique solutions for connecting the topside modules to the substructure, exclusive use of high strength LWA concrete in the construction of the hull, design and fabrication of very large diameter columns, and design of the platform for the structural effects of ringing. This paper gives an overview of the structural analysis and design activities required in connection with the development of the Heidrun TLP and concentrates on design aspects which are novel or required more extensive consideration due to the nature of the TLP configuration or construction method. A short description of the platform is provided followed by the most significant aspects of thehydrodynamic and structural analyses. Special analyses and some of the unique design considerations associated with the hull and topsides design are presented. For completeness brief descriptions are given of the construction sequence of the hull, the foundations and the independent design verification performed for the structural design.

The construction industry’s reliance on two-dimensional documentation results in inefficiency, inconsistency, waste, human error, and increased cost, and limits architectural experimentation with novel form, structure, material or fabrication approaches. We describe a software platform that enables designers to create interactive holographic instructions that translate design models into intelligent processes rather than static drawings. A prototypical project to design and construct a pavilion from bent mild steel tube illustrates the use of this software to develop applications assisting with the design, fabrication, assembly and analysis of the structure. We further demonstrate that fabrication within mixed reality environments can enable unskilled construction teams to assemble complex structures in short time frames and with minimal errors, and outline possibilities for further improvements.

BackgroundTo develop and evaluate a continuing medical education (CME) course aimed at improving healthcare provider knowledge about breast cancer health disparities and the importance of cross-cultural communication in provider-patient interactions about breast cancer screening.MethodsAn interactive web-based CME course was developed and contained information about breast cancer disparities, the role of culture in healthcare decision making, and demonstrated a model of cross-cultural communication. A single group pre-/post-test design was used to assess knowledge changes. Data on user satisfaction was also collected.ResultsIn all, 132 participants registered for the CME with 103 completing both assessments. Differences between pre-/post-test show a significant increase in knowledge (70% vs. 94%; p < .001). Ninety-five percent of participants agreed that the web based training was an appropriate tool to train healthcare providers about cultural competency and health disparities.ConclusionThere was an overall high level of satisfaction among all users. Users felt that learning objectives were met and the web-based format was appropriate and easy to use and suggests that web-based CME formats are an appropriate tool to teach cultural competency skills. However, more information is needed to understand how the CME impacted practice behaviors.

In schools of architecture there is a tendency to associate the use of computers solely with the production of graphic images as part of the architectural design process. However, if the architecture is to work as a building it is also essential that technical aspects of the design are adequately investigated. One of the problem areas for most architectural students is structural design and they are often reluctant to use hand calculations to determine sizes of structural elements within their projects. In recent years, much of the drudgery of hand calculation has been removed from the engineer by the use of computers, and this has, hopefully, allowed a more thorough investigation of conceptual ideas and alternatives. The same benefit is now becoming available to architectural students. This is in the form of structural analysis and design programs that can be used, even by those having a limited knowledge of structural engineering, to assess the stability of designs and obtain approximate sizes for individual structural elements. The paper discusses how the use of such programs is taught, within the School of Architecture at Nottingham. Examples will be given of how they can assist students in the architectural design process. In particular, the application of GLULAM, a program for estimating sizes of laminated timber elements and SAND, a structural analysis and design package, will be described.

The structural design and analysis of a cryogen-free open superconducting magnet for interventional MRI applications is presented. The magnet assembly consisted of two identical halves connected together by four posts. The magnet separation allows a surgeon access to the patient within the field-of-view of the imaging system. Each half of the assembly consisted of three superconducting coils, a stainless steel bobbin, a copper thermal ring, and three overwrap rings. The suspension components of the magnet consisted of eight radial straps and eight axial rods. A structural analysis was carried out that considered the differential thermal contraction caused by the cooldown to the magnet cryogenic operating temperature, and the electromagnetic forces on the coils when the magnet is energized at the design current value. The results are compared to the equivalent stresses caused by a simulation of a quench that was initiated at the inner diameter of one of the superconducting coils. The post-quench thermal transient analysis predicted a nonuniform 3-D temperature field in the range of 10 to 178 K and asymmetric electromagnetic forces on the superconducting coils. The three dimensional structural model of the assembly was developed in ANSYS.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

The paper provides a brief overview of domestic and foreign guidelines (manuals) for the design of composite steel and concrete structures: steel-concrete slabs on profiled flooring, combined beams, and columns with rigid reinforcement. The necessity of creation of the actual manual corresponding to the modernlevel of development of construction science, normative documents and design practiceslinked to the new formulary SP 266.1325800.2016 is proved. It will facilitate the design, reduce labor expenditures and improve the reliability of composite steel and concrete structures. The new guidance provides general recommendations for the design of composite steel and concrete structures and the basic regulations for the calculations. The new guidance describes recommendations for modeling of composite steel and concrete structures and elements in the calculated complexes, the recommendations for calculation of combined beams fully concreting rectangular and T-section, partially concreting along with support slab on the lower flange of the beam, columns with rigid reinforcement, shear a connection of composite beams. Recommendations on the registration of creep, shrinkage and crack formation in the appointment of the modulus of elasticity are given. Recommendations on the use of diagrams of the state of concrete, reinforcement, and steel in the calculation of steel-concrete elements on a nonlinear deformation model are given. Recommendations on the use of the range of sheet flooring for steel-reinforced concrete slabs, as well as metal profiles as steel beams and rigid reinforcement in the cross sections of columns and combined beams, are presented. Recommendations on a design of units and details of composite steel and concrete structures are given, refined recommendations on buffer are presented. The examples of connection of steel beams with columns with rigid reinforcement are given. The examples of calculation of composite steel and concrete structures taking subject to the recommendations given in the Manual are presented.

The papers in this volume include the following topics: Professional and Educational Issues Structural Analysis Analysis of Steel Structures Analysis and Design of Connections Fuzzy Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Structures Analysis and Design of Structures subject to Special Loading Conditions Earthquake and Seismic Problems Analysis of Complex Structures and Materials Analysis of Fluid Flow Problems Construction Engineering and Robotics.

We are currently experiencing the rapid growth of technology-based distance learning courses and programs in higher education, K-12 education, training, and other non-traditional learning contexts. With the proliferation of e-Learning courses and programs, it is important that instructional designers, instructional technologists, and others think critically about the nature of their research and practice. A number of questions and issues need to be addressed. For example, many individuals use the terms virtual space, virtual learning, and virtual learning communities when discussing e-Learning design and development. Do we all attach the same meaning to these terms? Probably not. As we design Web-based courses, should we try and use the structure of the traditional classroom as the metaphor for the “online” classroom? This is certainly an open question, given the criticisms that many students and trainees voice concerning traditional classroom instruction and training. Are the relevant instructional design, development, and policy issues the same for higher education, K-12 education, and training in the private sector? What are the implications and effects of using templates and various server software including WebCT, Blackboard, and other programs when designing and developing e-Learning programs? Finally, what can be learned from those individuals who have made pioneering efforts to design and develop online courses? The contributors to this issue of the Quarterly Review of Distance Education directly address many of these questions.Richard Schwier discusses the concept of learning communities in general and virtual learning communities in particular. Schwier describes three aspects of virtual learning communities including the elements, purposes, and the catalysts of virtual learning communities. The catalysts discussed include alignment, engagement, and interaction. In addition, a number of research issues concerning virtual learning communities are presented.The implications of the rapid growth of e-Learning in training, academic education, and non-traditional learning environments for instructional designers are discussed by Wellesley (“Rob”) Foshay, who argues that each context will place different demands on instructional designers. In particular, Foshay discusses the issues and events that are affecting academic organizations, training organizations, and non-traditional educational settings, and the implications for instructional design research and practice in each of the three environments.The implications of using various server-based courseware tools for developing Web-based courses are discussed by Douglas Harvey and Jung Lee. Certainly, courseware tools can help instructional designers and developers be more efficient when developing online courses. But at what cost? Harvey and Lee provide a critical discussion of how effective template-based approaches are for the development of online learning courses. In particular, some of the specific issues discussed include the pedagogical impact of courseware tools, the visual interface, navigation layout, and interaction implications for online courses. Finally, the instructional design implications when using online development tools and server software are discussed.In the final two articles in this issue, the authors identify some lessons learned from the development and delivery of online courses. Barbara Bichelmeyer, Melanie Misanchuk, and Larissa Malopinsky discuss the adaptation of an existing residential course to a Web-based course. Lessons learned from three different literature bases and results of the adaptation, design, and development processes are also analyzed. Tiffany Koszalka and Mary Beth Bianco focus on the importance of instructors in online learning courses. Specific issues and lessons learned by instructors who have “taught” online courses are described and specific areas and questions for research in online learning environments are presented.Critical issues, both for research and development, that instructional designers and instructional technologists will need to think about as they transition their work to e-Learning environments are identified and discussed in this issue of the Quarterly Review of Distance Education. Much potential as well as problems exist for the design of instruction in an e-Learning environment. Critically important is that individuals in the field of instructional design and technology be actively involved in theory development, research, and the design and development of online learning courses and programs.

Recently, the content of the technical report on elastic critical buckling of members [1] was established by the Eurocode 3 committee CEN/TC250/SC3. This report contains elastic critical buckling solutions of members to be used in conjunction with the design rules of EN 1993, Eurocode 3: Design of steel structures. In this code, limited information is given on elastic critical buckling solutions for members, though the design rules presented in this code rely on these solutions. Users of the code therefore, in many cases, use elastic critical buckling solutions from literature. However, using literature information may cause discussion between parties involved in the design of steel structures. Therefore, it was felt that a compilation of generally accepted, simple and correct elastic critical buckling solutions of members would be useful. This report pays attention to the determination of elastic critical buckling forces and moments and the associated buckling lengths where relevant. Also, special attention is paid to boundary conditions and the stiffness of springs and beddings. The elastic critical buckling solutions may be used also for structures made of other materials than steel. The purpose and the content of the technical report are described in this paper.

The design and analysis of a 765 KV guyed V type transmission structure by computer is described. The effects of guy pretension on the behavior and design of the structure are discussed. A mathematical model and procedure are presented which account for the non-linear aspects of cable behavior but still permit the simultaneous design and analysis of guyed structures for up to ten combined load conditions.

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a global approach to the design of structures that experience thermomechanical fatigue loading, which has been applied successfully in the case of cast‐iron exhaust manifolds. After a presentation of the design context in the automotive industry, the important hypotheses and choices of this approach, based on a thermal 3D computation, an elastoviscoplastic constitutive law and the dissipated energy per cycle as a damage indicator associated with a failure criterion, are first pointed out. Two particular aspects are described in more detail: the viscoplastic constitutive models, which permit a finite element analysis of complex structures and the fatigue criterion based on the dissipated energy per cycle. The FEM results associated with this damage indicator permit the construction of a design curve independent of temperature; an agreement is observed between the predicted durability and the results of isothermal as well as non isothermal tests on specimens and thermomechanical fatigue tests on real components on an engine bench. These results show that thermomechanical fatigue design of complex structures can be performed in an industrial context.

This paper presents a global approach to the design of structures that experience thermomechanical fatigue loading, which has been applied successfully in the case of cast‐‐iron exhaust manifolds. After a presentation of the design context in the automotive industry, the important hypotheses and choices of this approach, based on a thermal 3D computation, an elastoviscoplastic constitutive law and the dissipated energy per cycle as a damage indicator associated with a failure criterion, are first pointed out. Two particular aspects are described in more detail: the viscoplastic constitutive models, which permit a finite element analysis of complex structures and the fatigue criterion based on the dissipated energy per cycle. The FEM results associated with this damage indicator permit the construction of a design curve independent of temperature; an agreement is observed between the predicted durability and the results of isothermal as well as non isothermal tests on specimens and thermomechanical fatigue tests on real components on an engine bench. These results show that thermomechanical fatigue design of complex structures can be performed in an industrial context.