The course aims to provide the students with the necessary notions and tools to understand and interpret the mechanical behavior of structures in relation to the assessment of their safety. The subject contents are related to the mechanical behavior of structural elements and to the methods of structural analysis for stress and displacement calculation. Structural analysis is carried out by means of professional software, which is described both from the theoretical and the practical point of view.

By the end of the course the students will learn the fundamental notions about the mechanical behavior of structures and materials, in terms of strength and deformability, the basic concepts of structural safety. The students will understand the simplest models of evaluation of the structural response, being able to select the relevant geometrical and mechanical parameters, as a function of the considered actions. In addition, the students will be able to understand and assess properly the results obtained from the calculations, included those obtained with the computer. The students will be able to schematize and solve a framed structure with professional software, and to provide the results in terms of internal forces and displacements of the structure. Finally, the students will be capable of assessing the strength of sections and the stability of structural elements.

Mathematical methods and concepts are used along the course. Knowledge of linear algebra, differential and integral calculus is required. It is assumed that the student is acquainted with the concepts of force system equilibrium, is able to calculate the external reaction forces and to draw the diagrams of internal reactions of statically determinate planar structures.

1. Introduction: 1.1 course introduction, exam procedure 1.2 introduction to structural design software 2. Structural reliability 3. Behavior of structural elements: 3.1 kinematics, statics, constitutive relationship, geometrical properties of the cross section 3.2 transverse displacements (elastic line) 3.3 failure due to elastic instability 3.4 stress definition 3.5 elastic stress in beams 3.6 failure due to exceeding the strength limit in the cross sections. 4. Structural analysis: 4.1 force method 4.2 displacement method 4.3 matrix structural analysis 5. Applications: 5.1 determination of stresses and deformations using handbooks 5.2 use of structural software 6. Project revisions

The course is delivered with lectures in order to present all the topics of the subject; attendance to all lectures is strongly recommended. A case-study project, to be carried out step by step during the course, is assigned to groups of students (3-4 individuals). This assignment will be delivered at the end of the course and contribute to the final evaluation. The course will take advantage of a dedicated web 2.0 server for the improvement of the study at home. The server will provide interactive applications, periodic tests for self-assessment, a social forum for the interaction among students, professors or assistants, and a framework for wiki collaborative activities.

Slides and handouts will be available on the course webpage. Bibliography: • F.P. Beer, E.R. Johnston, J.T. DeWolf, Mechanics of Materials (SI Units), McGraw-Hill, 2017 • M. Salvadori, R. Heller, Structure in Architecture: The Building of Buildings, Prentice Hall, 1975 Exercises (in Italian): • M. Bertero, S. Grasso, Complementi ed esercizi di scienza delle costruzioni, Levrotto & Bella, Torino, 1984 • E. Viola, Esercitazioni di scienza delle costruzioni, Pitagora Editrice, Bologna, 1985-1994

Modalità di esame: Test informatizzato in laboratorio; Elaborato grafico prodotto in gruppo;

Exam: Computer lab-based test; Group graphic design project;

... Multiple choice quiz carried out at Laib (Computer laboratories) for the assessment of acquired knowledge, comprehension, and skills. The test is composed of closed-ended questions and must be carried out in 1 hour. The final evaluation is the mathematical average of the assessments obtained in the test and in the case-study project.

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.