General Structural Theory

Safety and serviceability constitute the two primary requirements in structural design. For a structure to be safe, it must have adequate strength and ductility when resisting occasional extreme loads. To ensure that a structure will perform satisfactorily at working loads, functional or serviceability requirements also must be met. An accurate prediction of the behavior of a structure subjected to these loads is indispensable in designing new structures and evaluating existing ones.
The behavior of a structure is defined by the displacements and forces produced within the structure as a result of external influences. In general, structural theory consists of the essential concepts and methods for determining these effects. The process of determining them is known as structural analysis. If the assumptions inherent in the applied structural theory are in close agreement with actual conditions, such an analysis can often produce results that are in reasonable agreement with performance in service.

3.1. Fundamentals of Structural Theory
3.2. Principles of Forces
3.3. Moments of Forces
3.4. Equations of Equilibrium
3.5. Frictional Forces
3.6. Kinematics
3.7. Kinetics
3.8. Stress-Strain Diagrams
3.9. Components of Stress and Strain
3.10. Stress-Strain Relationships
3.11. Principal Stresses and Maximum Shear Stress
3.12. Mohrs Circle
3.13. Types of Structural Members and Supports
3.14. Axial-Force Members
3.15. Members Subjected to Torsion
3.16. Bending Stresses and Strains in Beams
3.17. Shear Stresses in Beams
3.18. Shear, Moment, and Deformation Relationships in Beams
3.19. Shear Deflections in Beams
3.20. Members Subjected to Combined Forces
3.21. Unsymmetrical Bending
3.22. Work of External Forces
3.23. Virtual Work and Strain Energy
3.24. Castiglianos Theorems
3.25. Reciprocal Theorems
3.26. Types of Loads
3.27. Commonly Used Structural Systems
3.28. Determinancy and Geometric Stability
3.29. Calculation of Reactions in Statically Determinate Systems
3.30. Forces in Statically Determinate Trusses
3.31. Deflections of Statically Determinate Trusses
3.32. Forces in Statically Determinate Beams and Frames
3.33. Deformations in Beams
3.34. Methods for Analysis of Statically Indeterminate Systems
3.35. Force Method (Method of Consistent Deflections)
3.36. Displacement Methods
3.37. Slope-Deflection Metho
3.38. Moment-Distribution Method
3.39. Matrix Stiffness Method
3.40. Influence Lines
3.41. Elastic Flexural Buckling of Columns
3.42. Elastic Lateral Buckling of Beams
3.43. Elastic Flexural Buckling of Frames
3.44. Local Buckling
3.45. Comparisons of Elastic and Inelastic Analyses
3.46. General Second-Order Effects
3.47. Approximate Amplification Factors for Second-Order Effects
3.48. Geometric Stiffness Matrix Method for Second-Order Effects
3.49. General Material Nonlinear Effects
3.50. Classical Methods of Plastic Analysis
3.51. Contemporary Methods of Inelastic Analysis
3.52. General Concepts of Structural Dynamics
3.53. Vibration of Single-Degree-of-Freedom Systems
3.54. Material Effects of Dynamic Loads
3.55. Repeated Loads

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