Civil and Environmental Engineering 2220A/B Study Guide - Final Guide: Cartesian Coordinate System, Precast Concrete, Bending Moment

• School: Western University
• Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Course: Civil and Environmental Engineering 2220A/B
• Professor: Jon Southen

Document Summary

Equilibrium refers to a balance of all forces acting upon a structure. A structure that is not in equilibrium with the applied loads is unstable, collapsing, or very dangerous. The principle of equilibrium applies at the global level and the local level. All members within the structure are in equilibrium. Sign conventions are adopted to write the equations. We usually chose sign conventions that match with the cartesian coordinate system for convenience sake. Equations of equilibrium in a 2d plane structure. A structure is classified as a plane structure if all of it"s members lie within a single plane. Plane structures is what we will be mostly focusing on in this course. We can also assign our own axis and assign equilibrium along that axis. The equations of equilibrium is how we solve for unknown forces in structures. This is when all the lines of action of all the forces acting on a structure intersect at a single point.