BASIC STRUCTURAL

THEORY AND CONCEPTS

BQS 502 Construction Technology III

Mohd Arif Marhani

A377
0193105479
Centre of Studies for Quantity Surveying
CONTENTS
o Nature and Function of a Building
o Structural Theory
o Structural Forces
o Structural Behavior
o Structural Design
THE NATURE OF BUILDING

o As a shelter/envelope

o To meet primary physical needs

o Must be well-designed as well as constructed

o Building technology & building techniques are

interrelated
FUNCTION OF A BUILDING
o The satisfactory internal environment may be created
relative to the purpose & intended function of the
building

o The space within the building must be suitable for the

activities to take place with it

o Comfortable, safe & stable

o Must be designed in terms of size & shape, &

environmental factors
WHAT IS A STRUCTURE
o The part responsible for maintaining the shape of a
building under the influence of forces, load & other
environmental factors
o It is important for the structure does not fall, break or
deform to an unacceptable degree
o The study of structure includes the analysis of the forces
& stresses towards the components
WHAT IS A STRUCTURE (CONT’D)
o The example of the structural components include:
• Steel beams, columns, roof trusses & space frames
• Reinforced concrete beams, columns, slabs, retaining walls & foundation
• Timber joists, columns, glulam beams & roof trusses
• Masonry walls & columns

o Normally refer to body or fabrication at rest, or static in

the state of equilibrium
o It concerns with the strength & stability of the
component when imposed by force, which includes
various loads
o This can be achieved through an effective structural
system
STRUCTURAL THEORY
o Structure have the main task of receiving the forces
acting on a building & transmitting them, mostly
around usable internal space, from their point of
application to another planed places to a reliable soil
layer under ground

Example of a
Structural System
CONDITION OF EQUILIBRIUM
o A functional structural system would achieve an
equilibrium of forces even after possible forces are
imposed towards them
o In a structural analysis, magnitude, direction & point of
application of forces are taken into consideration
o As each structural element is loaded, its supporting
elements must react with equal but opposite forces
The sum of all
= 0
The sum of all vertical The sum of all moments of
forces = horizontal forces about
forces = any point =
STRUCTURAL FORCES

Compression Moment

Tension Shear

Bending Torsion
FORCES AND STRESS
o The effect of various types of forces is to put the
material of structural member into a state of stress &
the material of the member is then said to be in a state
of tension, compression, shear or torsion
o Material would resists the action & impose reaction
towards it
o Total load or force are measured using Newton (N) unit
EFFECTS OF EXTERNAL FORCES
o Lengthening
o Shortening
o Sliding
o Twisting
o Buckling
o Deflection
TYPES OF LOADS AFFECTING THE
BUILDING
• Relatively fixed in character including the weight of
Dead Load the structure itself (e.g. walls and mechanical
equipment)

• Unfixed or movable loads which may not be present

Live Load all the time, can be repeated but gradually applied
(e.g. occupants, movable partition, furnishing)

• Produce pressure and suction due to the geometry

Wind Load and orientation of the building. Cause for horizontal,
uplifting, fluttering, oscillation etc.

Seismic Load • Results from sudden movement of earth crust.

Multidirectional & move in the form of waves
TYPES OF LOADS DISTRIBUTION
UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED CONCENTRATED LOAD
LOAD
E.g. beam on a post or column
E.g. live load on a floor or on footings
wind load on wall
BASIC STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

Column Beam Truss

Frame Wall Slab

BASIC STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

Linear Structural System Planer Structural System

(Skeletal System) (Load Bearing)

Composite Structural
System
STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR UNDER LOAD
BEAM & SLAB
WALL o Bending
o Crushing o Deflection
o Buckling o Shear
o Settlement
o Sliding COLUMN
o Overturning o Buckling
o Crushing
o Overturning
STRUCTURAL COMPONENT Skeletal System
FRAMED OR TRUSSES

o Frame refers to series of various vertical & horizontal

components working as one unit of structural system
o Framed, trusses, lattices girder are components made up by
combination of smaller components in triangulated structures
to form bigger components
o Even with little volume in the material, the component would
still be as effective due the triangulation & focuses on the
right point of load distribution
TRUSSED GIRDERS LATTICE GIRDERS
STRUCTURAL DESIGN
o Structural design is a method or tool by which we find
out safe & economical specifications of a structure or a
member of the structure sufficient to carry the load
o In other words finding out cross-sectional dimension,
grade of material, amount of reinforcement etc.
necessary to withstand the internal forces that we have
got from structural analysis
o The structural designs are integrated with those of other
designers such as architects, engineers & contractors on
site
DESIGN CONSIDERATION
o Apart from the basics functions, design of the structure
must also satisfy the followings;
• Aesthetics
• Economics
• Easy maintenance
• Durability (from corrosion, spalling, chemical attack,
rot or insect attack)
• Fire resistance
GOOD STRUCTURAL DESIGN WILL ENABLE
GREAT MODERN STRUCTURES LIKE THESE..