Structural Dynamics

COURSE CONTENT 

• Review of dynamic behavior of single degree-of-freedom systems with damping. Free vibration, forced harmonic vibration – frequency response function, Transient response.
• Equations of motion of continuous deformable solids and structures. Spatial Discretization in the context of the finite element method. Discrete equations of motion. Consistent and lumped mass matrices.
• Discrete natural dynamic systems with multiple degrees of freedom (MDOF). Free vibration, modal frequencies and shapes, physical meaning and properties. Methods of calculating eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Dynamic analysis in the modal domain. The mode superposition method. Methods of condensation. Forced harmonic response and frequency response functions.
• Discrete non-conservative dynamic MDOF systems with damping. Proportional and arbitrary structural damping. Effect on dynamic response and method of solution.
• Transient structural response of MDOF discrete systems subject to arbitrary time loading. Prediction of transient response using direct time integration. Discretization in the time domain. Explicit and implicit methods of time integration and FE solvers.
• Various practical problems.
• The course is combined with 2 laboratory seminars and exercises which include programing of various dynamic analysis methods and application of commercial software.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This an advanced course on Structural Dynamics Analysis and Computational Structural Dynamics. Upon completion of the course, the students are anticipated to attain advanced knowledge on:

• the dynamic behavior of structures, and their various forms of vibration and dynamic response.
• the conversion of a dynamic of continuous solids to dynamic problem to equivalent discretized dynamic structural systems of multiple degrees of freedom through the finite element method.
• the prediction of the dynamic characteristics of a structure and to understand their physical meaning and effect on the dynamic response.
• the commonly used analytical and numerical methods of modal analysis and simulation of forced harmonic and transient responses.

In addition, the students will obtain skills and hands-on experience towards predicting an simulating free-vibration, force harmonic and transient dynamic responses of select structures through,

• development of their own software, and
• the application of commerical FEA software