UNIT 8 STRUCTURES

1.- Types of Structures

Structures are designed to hold objects, mechanisms, systems or any type of body.
Structures have to be resistant and stable.

Artificial structures
Solid or gravity structures Shell structures

They are solid, heavy structures built on the These are based on the use of panels of
basis of an of materials. material.

Framework structures
Frame Structures Triangulated Structures Suspended Structures

These are built with These are built by joining Suspended structures are
horizontal and vertical bars to form triangles. built with cables attached to
components. towers bear the weight.

2. Stress on structures

Traction: When forces that it is subjected to tend to stretch it.

Compression: When forces that it is subjected to tend to compress it.

Flexure: When forces that it is subjected to tend to bend it.

Shear: When forces that it is subjected to tend to shear it.

Torsion: When forces that it is subjected to tend to twist it.

3. Stability in structures

A structure is stable when the center of gravity is alined with his base.

4. I-BEAMS

An I-beam, also known as H-beam, W-beam (for "wide flange"), Universal Beam (UB),
Rolled Steel Joist (RSJ), or double-T (especially in Polish, Bulgarian, Spanish, Italian and
German), is a beam with an I- or H-shaped cross-section. The horizontal elements of the "I" are
flanges, while the vertical element is termed the "web". I-beams are usually made of structural

steel and are used in construction and civil engineering.

The web resists shear forces, while the flanges resist most of the bending moment experienced
by the beam. Beam theory shows that the I-shaped section is a very efficient form for carrying
both bending and shear loads in the plane of the web. On the other hand, the cross-section
has a reduced capacity in the transverse direction, and is also inefficient in carrying torsion, for
which hollow structural sections are often preferred.