Plate Structures Quiz

Plate Structures

• Rigid, planar, usually monolithic structures that disperse applied loads in a multidirectional pattern
• Loads generally follow the shortest and stiffest routes to the supports
• Can be envisioned as a series of adjacent beam strips interconnected continuously along their lengths
• Load is distributed over the entire plate by vertical shear transmitted from the deflected strip to adjacent strips
• Should be square or nearly square to ensure two-way action

Structural Units

• Formed with principal structural elements: column, beam, and slab
• Capable of defining and enclosing a volume of space for habitation
• Horizontal spans may be traversed by reinforced concrete slabs or a hierarchical arrangement of girders, beams, and joists supporting planks or decking
• Vertical support provided by load-bearing walls or a framework of columns and beams

Structural Patterns

• Grid lines represent horizontal beams and load-bearing walls
• Intersections of grid lines represent the locations of columns or concentrated gravity loads
• Basic structural unit or bay can be logically extended vertically along the axes of columns and horizontally along the spans of beams and loadbearing walls

Columns and Beams

• Columns transmit the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below
• Beams resist load primarily by resisting bending
• Beams can be found in various structures, including buildings, truck frames, machine frames, and mechanical systems

Structural Equilibrium

• A structure is in equilibrium when all forces or moments acting upon it are balanced
• Every force acting upon a body, or part of the body, is resisted by either another equal and opposite force or set of forces whose net result is zero