Dr Colin Caprani

PhD, BSc(Eng), DipEng, CEng, MIEI, MIABSE, MIStructE

Mathematics
inShapes
Structural
Loads Engineering
Structural
Analysis
Materials

Stress
Resultants

Coláiste Cois Life – 5th and 6th Year

 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

About Me
• Degree in Structural Engineering 1999
• Full time consultancy until 2001
• PhD in UCD from 2001 to 2006
• Lecturing in DIT and UCD
• Consultant in buildings & bridges

Guess my Leaving result!

C1 in Honours Maths
You don’t have to be a genius…
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Definition of Structural Engineering

Institution of Structural Engineers:
“…the science and art of designing and making with economy and
elegance buildings, bridges, frameworks and other similar structures so
that they can safely resist the forces to which they may be subjected”

Prof. Tom Collins, University of Toronto:

“…the art of moulding materials we do not really understand into shapes
we cannot really analyze so as to withstand forces we cannot really assess
in such a way that the public does not really suspect”

Some examples of structural engineering…

 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Important Maths Topics

Essential maths topics are:
1. Algebra
2. Calculus – differentiation and integration
3. Matrices
4. Complex numbers
5. Statistics and probability

For each of these, I’ll give an example of its application…

 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Algebra
How stiff should a beam be?
For a point load on the centre of a beam we will work it out…

-100.00
0 0 1

-0.042174
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Calculus I
Beam deflection:
Given the bending in a beam, can we find the deflection?

-100.00
0 0 1
0.00 0.00

150.00
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Calculus II
Vibration of structures

Fstiffness = ku
Fapplied = Fstiffness + Fdamping + Finertia Fdamping = cu&
Finertia = mu&&
Fundamental Equation of Motion:

mu&&(t ) + cu& (t ) + ku (t ) = F (t )
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Matrices I
In structural frames displacement is related to forces:

F = K ⋅δ
Force Displacement
Vector Stiffness Vector
Matrix

To solve, we pre-multiply each side by the inverse of the stiffness matrix:

K −1 ⋅ F = K −1K ⋅ δ = I ⋅ δ
∴ δ = K −1 ⋅ F
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Matrices II
Each member in a frame has its own stiffness matrix:

These are assembled to solve for the whole structure displacements

 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Matrices III
LinPro Software:
Displays the stiffness
matrix for a member
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Matrices IV
Assembling the simple matrices for each member lets us calculate complex
structures:
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Complex Numbers I
Free vibration:
u&&(t ) + ω 2u (t ) = 0
λ2 +ω2 = 0
λ1,2 = ±iω
u ( t ) = C1eλ1t + C2eλ2t
u ( t ) = C1e+ iωt + C2 e−iωt
Since e± iθ = cos θ ± i sin θ

u ( t ) = C1 ( cos ωt + i sin ωt ) + C2 ( cos ωt − i sin ωt )

= A cos ωt + B sin ωt
⎛ u&0 ⎞
u ( t ) = u0 cos ω t + ⎜ ⎟ sin ω t
⎝ω ⎠
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Complex Numbers II
⎛ u&0 ⎞
u ( t ) = u0 cos ω t + ⎜ ⎟ sin ω t
30
⎝ω ⎠

20
k = 100 N/m

10
Displacement (mm)

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 m = 10 kg

-10

-20

u0 = 20mm u&0 = 0
(a)
-30
(b) u0 = 0 u&0 = 50mm/s
u0 = 20mm u&0 = 50mm/s
Tim e (s)
(c)
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Complex Numbers III

Are used to model complex geometries:
A Function of Complex Numbers

0.8

0.6
Function value

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4
20
10 20
0 10
0
-10
-10
-20 -20
Imaginary Part Real Part
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Complex Numbers IV
Aerofoil lift
Flow Around a Circle. Lift:1.0195 [N/m] Flow Around the Corresponding Airfoil. Lift:1.0195 [N/m]
5 5

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1

0 0

-1 -1

-2 -2

-3 -3

-4 -4

-5 -5
-5 0 5 -5 0 5
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Complex Numbers V
Why does the ball curl?
Speed Vectors
2

1.5

0.5

-0.5

-1

-1.5

-2
-2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Statistics and Probability I

How strong is a structure?
How much load is on a structure?
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Statistics and Probability II

How strong is a
beam?
What is the
effect of the load
on the beam?
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Statistics and Probability III

What about bridges?

Represents my area of interest

Truck traffic on bridge Statistical analysis

Loading event data

Structure Assessment
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Statistics and Probability IV

Simulated bridge loading events…
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Maths for the sake of it…

Once voted the most beautiful relation in maths:
iπ
e +1= 0
It links the five most important numbers in maths:

e = 2.718281...
Of this, a professor once said:
π = 3.141592... “it is surely true, it is paradoxical,
we can’t understand it, and we
i = −1 don’t know what it means, but we
have proved it, and therefore we
1 know it is the truth”

0
 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Conclusion
• All designed objects require mathematics to describe them
• I’ve just shown you my area of structural engineering
• Maths is essential for any profession involved in technical design
• It can also be enjoyable for its own sake

Thanks for listening…but one last question

 Mathematics in Structural Engineering
Dr Colin Caprani

Question
If there are 23 people in a room,
what are the chances two of them share a birthday?

a) Over 80%
b) Over 50%
c) Over 20%
d) Almost zilch!