Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D5: Water Engineering, 2024-25
Module Leader
Lecturer
Lecturer
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Michaelmas term. 16 lectures and coursework.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Explain some fundamental principles necessary for understanding the common water issues in the world.
- Cover the basic topics in practical hydrology, civil engineering hydraulics, turbulent mixing, and water/waste water treatments.
- Allow students to grasp essential concepts and procedures for analysing hydro-environmental processes and develop skills to solve practical water engineering problems.
- Highlight some of the most pressing water-related global challenges, such as freshwater scarcity, soil erosion, water quality deterioration and flooding, and stress the need for sustainable and integrated management of water resources.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Comprehend the scope of water-related topics in civil and environmental engineering
- Appreciate the environmental, social, political and economical implications of water engineering
- Understand the hydrologic cycle and the Earth’s water budget
- Understand simple models of infiltration
- Undertake simple rainfall-runoff calculations over small catchments
- Understand river hydraulics.
- Be aware of a wide range of hydro-environmental issues
- Understand the advective, diffusive, dispersive and reactive processes related to pollutant transports in uniform flows
- Evaluate the impact of large hydraulic engineering projects
- Solve steady flows using the equations of mass, energy and momentum conservations
- Analyse unsteady flows using the method of characteristics.
- Explain the cause of soil erosion and mitigation measures.
- Understand the mechanism of sand particle motion.
- Calculate the sediment transport rate and determine the bed regime.
- Select pipeline systems for water conveyance
- Make appropriate pump selections and design simple pumping systems
- Be aware of the principles and elements of water/wastewater treatments and the key engineering variables for their design
- Notice the limitations of the traditional water supply and sewage treatment systems in a sustainability context
Content
Hydrology and Water Resources (4L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 1-2 (Dr Borgomeo)
- Global water issues
- Hydrologic cycle
- Unit hydrographs
Open Channel Flows, Pollutant and Sediment Transports (12L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 3-8 (Prof D. Liang)
- Boundary layer and turbulence
- Flow resistance
- Steady flow in pipelines
- Water pollution
- Steady flow in open channels
- Pollutant advection,diffusion,dispersion and reaction
- Unsteady flow,flood routing and method of characteristics
- Sediment transport and bed form
- Pipeline systems
- Pumping systems
Coursework
Labs on sediment motion will conducted in Inglis Building Structures Lab, which can be accessed through the big double doors on the Peterhouse roadway or through the corner of the Hydraulics Lab. Sign-up page (http://to.eng.cam.ac.uk/teaching/apps/cuedle/index.php?context=3D5) is activated at the start of Michaelmas. Lab reports should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodle page within 15 days after the experiment.
Learning objectives:
- To gain first-hand experience of open channel flow and sediment transport phenomena.
- To study the threshold condition under which sediments are moved. This condition separates the state of the clear-water flow over an immobile bed from the state where sediment transport and bed deformation take place.
- To investigate the relationship between the bed forms and the flow conditions. This is important because the bed forms have a significant impact on the bed roughness and thus the channel conveyance.
- To appreciate the local scour phenomena around underwater structures.
Practical information:
- Lab sessions will take place in the Structures Lab, Inglis Building Ground Floor, which is adjacent to the Robotics Lab.
- This activity doesn't involve preliminary work, but it will be beneficial to read the handouts beforehand.
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report. FTRs should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodel page.
Booklists
Please refer to the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references to this module, this can be found on the associated Moodle course.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
GT1
Develop transferable skills that will be of value in a wide range of situations. These are exemplified by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Higher Level Key Skills and include problem solving, communication, and working with others, as well as the effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills. They also include planning self-learning and improving performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD.
IA1
Apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems.
KU1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of their engineering discipline, and its underpinning science and mathematics.
KU2
Have an appreciation of the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles.
D1
Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.
S1
The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.
S3
Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development.
S4
Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
E1
Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.
E2
Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools when appropriate.
E3
Ability to apply mathematical and computer based models for solving problems in engineering, and the ability to assess the limitations of particular cases.
P1
A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations and some appreciation of likely new developments.
P3
Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc).
US1
A comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles of own specialisation and related disciplines.
US3
An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering projects.
Last modified: 31/05/2024 07:29
Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D5: Water Engineering, 2023-24
Module Leader
Lecturer
Lecturer
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Michaelmas term. 16 lectures and coursework.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Explain some fundamental principles necessary for understanding the common water issues in the world.
- Cover the basic topics in practical hydrology, civil engineering hydraulics, turbulent mixing, and water/waste water treatments.
- Allow students to grasp essential concepts and procedures for analysing hydro-environmental processes and develop skills to solve practical water engineering problems.
- Highlight some of the most pressing water-related global challenges, such as freshwater scarcity, soil erosion, water quality deterioration and flooding, and stress the need for sustainable and integrated management of water resources.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Comprehend the scope of water-related topics in civil and environmental engineering
- Appreciate the environmental, social, political and economical implications of water engineering
- Understand the hydrologic cycle and the Earth’s water budget
- Understand simple models of infiltration
- Undertake simple rainfall-runoff calculations over small catchments
- Understand river hydraulics.
- Be aware of a wide range of hydro-environmental issues
- Understand the advective, diffusive, dispersive and reactive processes related to pollutant transports in uniform flows
- Evaluate the impact of large hydraulic engineering projects
- Solve steady flows using the equations of mass, energy and momentum conservations
- Analyse unsteady flows using the method of characteristics.
- Explain the cause of soil erosion and mitigation measures.
- Understand the mechanism of sand particle motion.
- Calculate the sediment transport rate and determine the bed regime.
- Select pipeline systems for water conveyance
- Make appropriate pump selections and design simple pumping systems
- Be aware of the principles and elements of water/wastewater treatments and the key engineering variables for their design
- Notice the limitations of the traditional water supply and sewage treatment systems in a sustainability context
Content
Hydrology and Water Resources (4L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 1-2 (Dr Borgomeo)
- Global water issues
- Hydrologic cycle
- Unit hydrographs
Open Channel Flows, Pollutant and Sediment Transports (12L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 3-8 (Prof D. Liang)
- Boundary layer and turbulence
- Flow resistance
- Steady flow in pipelines
- Water pollution
- Steady flow in open channels
- Pollutant advection,diffusion,dispersion and reaction
- Unsteady flow,flood routing and method of characteristics
- Sediment transport and bed form
- Pipeline systems
- Pumping systems
Coursework
Labs on sediment motion will conducted in Inglis Building Structures Lab, which can be accessed through the big double doors on the Peterhouse roadway or through the corner of the Hydraulics Lab. Sign-up page (http://to.eng.cam.ac.uk/teaching/apps/cuedle/index.php?context=3D5) is activated at the start of Michaelmas. Lab reports should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodle page within 15 days after the experiment.
Learning objectives:
- To gain first-hand experience of open channel flow and sediment transport phenomena.
- To study the threshold condition under which sediments are moved. This condition separates the state of the clear-water flow over an immobile bed from the state where sediment transport and bed deformation take place.
- To investigate the relationship between the bed forms and the flow conditions. This is important because the bed forms have a significant impact on the bed roughness and thus the channel conveyance.
- To appreciate the local scour phenomena around underwater structures.
Practical information:
- Lab sessions will take place in the Structures Lab, Inglis Building Ground Floor, which is adjacent to the Robotics Lab.
- This activity doesn't involve preliminary work, but it will be beneficial to read the handouts beforehand.
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report. FTRs should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodel page.
Booklists
Please refer to the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references to this module, this can be found on the associated Moodle course.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
GT1
Develop transferable skills that will be of value in a wide range of situations. These are exemplified by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Higher Level Key Skills and include problem solving, communication, and working with others, as well as the effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills. They also include planning self-learning and improving performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD.
IA1
Apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems.
KU1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of their engineering discipline, and its underpinning science and mathematics.
KU2
Have an appreciation of the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles.
D1
Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.
S1
The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.
S3
Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development.
S4
Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
E1
Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.
E2
Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools when appropriate.
E3
Ability to apply mathematical and computer based models for solving problems in engineering, and the ability to assess the limitations of particular cases.
P1
A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations and some appreciation of likely new developments.
P3
Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc).
US1
A comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles of own specialisation and related disciplines.
US3
An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering projects.
Last modified: 02/10/2023 11:24
Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D5: Water Engineering, 2022-23
Module Leader
Lecturers
Dr D. Liang and Prof F.A. McRobie
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Michaelmas term. 16 lectures and coursework.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Explain some fundamental principles necessary for understanding the common water issues in the world.
- Cover the basic topics in practical hydrology, civil engineering hydraulics, turbulent mixing, and water/waste water treatments.
- Allow students to grasp essential concepts and procedures for analysing hydro-environmental processes and develop skills to solve practical water engineering problems.
- Highlight some of the most pressing water-related global challenges, such as freshwater scarcity, soil erosion, water quality deterioration and flooding, and stress the need for sustainable and integrated management of water resources.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Comprehend the scope of water-related topics in civil and environmental engineering
- Appreciate the environmental, social, political and economical implications of water engineering
- Understand the hydrologic cycle and the Earth’s water budget
- Understand simple models of infiltration
- Undertake simple rainfall-runoff calculations over small catchments
- Understand river hydraulics.
- Be aware of a wide range of hydro-environmental issues
- Understand the advective, diffusive, dispersive and reactive processes related to pollutant transports in uniform flows
- Evaluate the impact of large hydraulic engineering projects
- Solve steady flows using the equations of mass, energy and momentum conservations
- Analyse unsteady flows using the method of characteristics.
- Explain the cause of soil erosion and mitigation measures.
- Understand the mechanism of sand particle motion.
- Calculate the sediment transport rate and determine the bed regime.
- Select pipeline systems for water conveyance
- Make appropriate pump selections and design simple pumping systems
- Be aware of the principles and elements of water/wastewater treatments and the key engineering variables for their design
- Notice the limitations of the traditional water supply and sewage treatment systems in a sustainability context
Content
Hydrology (3L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 1-2 (Prof FA McRobie)
- Global water issues
- Hydrologic cycle
- Unit hydrographs
Open Channel Flows, Pollutant and Sediment Transports (12L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 2-8 (Dr D. Liang)
- Boundary layer and turbulence
- Flow resistance
- Steady flow in pipelines
- Water pollution
- Steady flow in open channels
- Pollutant advection,diffusion,dispersion and reaction
- Unsteady flow,flood routing and method of characteristics
- Sediment transport and bed form
- Pipeline systems
- Pumping systems
Water/Waste Treatments (1L) 2 lectures/week, week 8 (Prof FA McRobie)
- Water treatment
- Wastewater treatment
Coursework
Labs on sediment motion will conducted in Inglis Building Structures Lab, which can be accessed through the big double doors on the Peterhouse roadway or through the corner of the Hydraulics Lab. Sign-up page (http://to.eng.cam.ac.uk/teaching/apps/cuedle/index.php?context=3D5) is activated at the start of Michaelmas. Lab reports should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodle page within 15 days after the experiment.
Learning objectives:
- To gain first-hand experience of open channel flow and sediment transport phenomena.
- To study the threshold condition under which sediments are moved. This condition separates the state of the clear-water flow over an immobile bed from the state where sediment transport and bed deformation take place.
- To investigate the relationship between the bed forms and the flow conditions. This is important because the bed forms have a significant impact on the bed roughness and thus the channel conveyance.
- To appreciate the local scour phenomena around underwater structures.
Practical information:
- Lab sessions will take place in the Structures Lab, Inglis Building Ground Floor, which is adjacent to the Robotics Lab.
- This activity doesn't involve preliminary work, but it will be beneficial to read the handouts beforehand.
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report. FTRs should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodel page.
Booklists
Please refer to the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references to this module, this can be found on the associated Moodle course.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
GT1
Develop transferable skills that will be of value in a wide range of situations. These are exemplified by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Higher Level Key Skills and include problem solving, communication, and working with others, as well as the effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills. They also include planning self-learning and improving performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD.
IA1
Apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems.
KU1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of their engineering discipline, and its underpinning science and mathematics.
KU2
Have an appreciation of the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles.
D1
Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.
S1
The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.
S3
Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development.
S4
Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
E1
Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.
E2
Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools when appropriate.
E3
Ability to apply mathematical and computer based models for solving problems in engineering, and the ability to assess the limitations of particular cases.
P1
A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations and some appreciation of likely new developments.
P3
Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc).
US1
A comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles of own specialisation and related disciplines.
US3
An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering projects.
Last modified: 02/10/2022 17:57
Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D5: Water Engineering, 2021-22
Module Leader
Lecturers
Dr D. Liang and Prof F.A. McRobie
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Michaelmas term. 16 lectures and coursework.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Explain some fundamental principles necessary for understanding the common water issues in the world.
- Cover the basic topics in practical hydrology, civil engineering hydraulics, turbulent mixing, and water/waste water treatments.
- Allow students to grasp essential concepts and procedures for analysing hydro-environmental processes and develop skills to solve practical water engineering problems.
- Highlight some of the most pressing water-related global challenges, such as freshwater scarcity, soil erosion, water quality deterioration and flooding, and stress the need for sustainable and integrated management of water resources.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Comprehend the scope of water-related topics in civil and environmental engineering
- Appreciate the environmental, social, political and economical implications of water engineering
- Understand the hydrologic cycle and the Earth’s water budget
- Understand simple models of infiltration
- Undertake simple rainfall-runoff calculations over small catchments
- Understand river hydraulics.
- Be aware of a wide range of hydro-environmental issues
- Understand the advective, diffusive, dispersive and reactive processes related to pollutant transports in uniform flows
- Evaluate the impact of large hydraulic engineering projects
- Solve steady flows using the equations of mass, energy and momentum conservations
- Analyse unsteady flows using the method of characteristics.
- Explain the cause of soil erosion and mitigation measures.
- Understand the mechanism of sand particle motion.
- Calculate the sediment transport rate and determine the bed regime.
- Select pipeline systems for water conveyance
- Make appropriate pump selections and design simple pumping systems
- Be aware of the principles and elements of water/wastewater treatments and the key engineering variables for their design
- Notice the limitations of the traditional water supply and sewage treatment systems in a sustainability context
Content
Hydrology (3L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 1-2 (Prof FA McRobie)
- Global water issues
- Hydrologic cycle
- Unit hydrographs
Open Channel Flows, Pollutant and Sediment Transports (12L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 2-8 (Dr D. Liang)
- Boundary layer and turbulence
- Flow resistance
- Steady flow in pipelines
- Water pollution
- Steady flow in open channels
- Pollutant advection,diffusion,dispersion and reaction
- Unsteady flow,flood routing and method of characteristics
- Sediment transport and bed form
- Pipeline systems
- Pumping systems
Water/Waste Treatments (1L) 2 lectures/week, week 8 (Prof FA McRobie)
- Water treatment
- Wastewater treatment
Coursework
Labs on sediment motion will conducted in Inglis Building Structures Lab (shared space with 3D1 and 3C7 Labs). Sign-up page (http://to.eng.cam.ac.uk/teaching/apps/cuedle/index.php?context=3D5) will activated on Tuesday of Week 0. Lab reports should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodle page within 15 days after the experiment.
Learning objectives:
- To gain first-hand experience of open channel flow and sediment transport phenomena.
- To study the threshold condition under which sediments are moved. This condition separates the state of the clear-water flow over an immobile bed from the state where sediment transport and bed deformation take place.
- To investigate the relationship between the bed forms and the flow conditions. This is important because the bed forms have a significant impact on the bed roughness and thus the channel conveyance.
- To appreciate the local scour phenomena around underwater structures.
Practical information:
- Lab sessions will take place in the Structures Lab, Inglis Building Ground Floor, which is adjacent to the Robotics Lab.
- This activity doesn't involve preliminary work, but it will be beneficial to read the handouts beforehand.
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report. FTRs should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodel page.
Booklists
Please refer to the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references to this module, this can be found on the associated Moodle course.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
GT1
Develop transferable skills that will be of value in a wide range of situations. These are exemplified by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Higher Level Key Skills and include problem solving, communication, and working with others, as well as the effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills. They also include planning self-learning and improving performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD.
IA1
Apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems.
KU1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of their engineering discipline, and its underpinning science and mathematics.
KU2
Have an appreciation of the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles.
D1
Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.
S1
The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.
S3
Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development.
S4
Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
E1
Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.
E2
Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools when appropriate.
E3
Ability to apply mathematical and computer based models for solving problems in engineering, and the ability to assess the limitations of particular cases.
P1
A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations and some appreciation of likely new developments.
P3
Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc).
US1
A comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles of own specialisation and related disciplines.
US3
An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering projects.
Last modified: 04/10/2021 15:51
Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D5: Water Engineering, 2020-21
Module Leader
Lecturers
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Michaelmas term. 16 lectures and coursework.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Explain some fundamental principles necessary for understanding the common water issues in the world.
- Cover the basic topics in practical hydrology, civil engineering hydraulics, turbulent mixing, and water/waste water treatments.
- Allow students to grasp essential concepts and procedures for analysing hydro-environmental processes and develop skills to solve practical water engineering problems.
- Highlight some of the most pressing water-related global challenges, such as freshwater scarcity, soil erosion, water quality deterioration and flooding, and stress the need for sustainable and integrated management of water resources.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Comprehend the scope of water-related topics in civil and environmental engineering
- Appreciate the environmental, social, political and economical implications of water engineering
- Understand the hydrologic cycle and the Earth’s water budget
- Understand simple models of infiltration
- Undertake simple rainfall-runoff calculations over small catchments
- Understand river hydraulics.
- Be aware of a wide range of hydro-environmental issues
- Understand the advective, diffusive, dispersive and reactive processes related to pollutant transports in uniform flows
- Evaluate the impact of large hydraulic engineering projects
- Solve steady flows using the equations of mass, energy and momentum conservations
- Analyse unsteady flows using the method of characteristics.
- Explain the cause of soil erosion and mitigation measures.
- Understand the mechanism of sand particle motion.
- Calculate the sediment transport rate and determine the bed regime.
- Select pipeline systems for water conveyance
- Make appropriate pump selections and design simple pumping systems
- Be aware of the principles and elements of water/wastewater treatments and the key engineering variables for their design
- Notice the limitations of the traditional water supply and sewage treatment systems in a sustainability context
Content
Hydrology (3L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 1-2 (Prof D Fenner)
- Global water issues
- Hydrologic cycle
- Unit hydrographs
Water/Waste Treatments (1L) 2 lectures/week,week 2 (Prof D Fenner)
- Water treatment
- Wastewater treatment
Open Channel Flows, Pollutant and Sediment Transports (12L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 3-8 (Dr D. Liang)
- Boundary layer and turbulence
- Flow resistance
- Steady flow in pipelines
- Water pollution
- Steady flow in open channels
- Pollutant advection,diffusion,dispersion and reaction
- Unsteady flow,flood routing and method of characteristics
- Sediment transport and bed form
- Pipeline systems
- Pumping systems
Coursework
Labs on sediment motion will conducted in Inglis Building Room ISG-86 in the second half of the Term. Sign-up page (http://to.eng.cam.ac.uk/teaching/apps/cuedle/index.php?context=3D5) will activated on Tuesday of Week 0. Lab reports should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodle page within 15 days after the experiment.
Learning objectives:
- To gain first-hand experience of open channel flow and sediment transport phenomena.
- To study the threshold condition under which sediments are moved. This condition separates the state of the clear-water flow over an immobile bed from the state where sediment transport and bed deformation take place.
- To investigate the relationship between the bed forms and the flow conditions. This is important because the bed forms have a significant impact on the bed roughness and thus the channel conveyance.
- To appreciate the local scour phenomena around underwater structures.
Practical information:
- Lab sessions will take place in Room ISG-86, Inglis Building Ground Floor, Centre for Smart Infrastructure & Construction (CSIC) corridor.
- This activity doesn't involve preliminary work, but it will be beneficial to read the handouts beforehand.
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report. FTRs should be submitted on the 3D5 Moodel page.
Booklists
Please refer to the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references to this module, this can be found on the associated Moodle course.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
GT1
Develop transferable skills that will be of value in a wide range of situations. These are exemplified by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Higher Level Key Skills and include problem solving, communication, and working with others, as well as the effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills. They also include planning self-learning and improving performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD.
IA1
Apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems.
KU1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of their engineering discipline, and its underpinning science and mathematics.
KU2
Have an appreciation of the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles.
D1
Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.
S1
The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.
S3
Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development.
S4
Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
E1
Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.
E2
Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools when appropriate.
E3
Ability to apply mathematical and computer based models for solving problems in engineering, and the ability to assess the limitations of particular cases.
P1
A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations and some appreciation of likely new developments.
P3
Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc).
US1
A comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles of own specialisation and related disciplines.
US3
An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering projects.
Last modified: 30/09/2020 04:17
Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D5: Water Engineering, 2019-20
Module Leader
Lecturers
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Michaelmas term. 16 lectures and coursework.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Explain some fundamental principles necessary for understanding the common water issues in the world.
- Cover the basic topics in practical hydrology, civil engineering hydraulics, turbulent mixing, and water/waste water treatments.
- Allow students to grasp essential concepts and procedures for analysing hydro-environmental processes and develop skills to solve practical water engineering problems.
- Highlight some of the most pressing water-related global challenges, such as freshwater scarcity, soil erosion, water quality deterioration and flooding, and stress the need for sustainable and integrated management of water resources.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Comprehend the scope of water-related topics in civil and environmental engineering
- Appreciate the environmental, social, political and economical implications of water engineering
- Understand the hydrologic cycle and the Earth’s water budget
- Understand simple models of infiltration
- Undertake simple rainfall-runoff calculations over small catchments
- Understand river hydraulics.
- Be aware of a wide range of hydro-environmental issues
- Understand the advective, diffusive, dispersive and reactive processes related to pollutant transports in uniform flows
- Evaluate the impact of large hydraulic engineering projects
- Solve steady flows using the equations of mass, energy and momentum conservations
- Analyse unsteady flows using the method of characteristics.
- Explain the cause of soil erosion and mitigation measures.
- Understand the mechanism of sand particle motion.
- Calculate the sediment transport rate and determine the bed regime.
- Select pipeline systems for water conveyance
- Make appropriate pump selections and design simple pumping systems
- Be aware of the principles and elements of water/wastewater treatments and the key engineering variables for their design
- Notice the limitations of the traditional water supply and sewage treatment systems in a sustainability context
Content
Hydrology (3L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 1-2 (Prof F. A. McRobie)
- Global water issues
- Hydrologic cycle
- Unit hydrographs
Open Channel Flows, Pollutant and Sediment Transports (12L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 2-8 (Dr D. Liang)
- Boundary layer and turbulence
- Flow resistance
- Steady flow in pipelines
- Water pollution
- Steady flow in open channels
- Pollutant advection,diffusion,dispersion and reaction
- Unsteady flow,flood routing and method of characteristics
- Sediment transport and bed form
- Pipeline systems
- Pumping systems
Water/Waste Treatments (1L) 2 lectures/week,week 8 (Prof F. A. McRobie)
- Water treatment
- Wastewater treatment
Coursework
Sign-up sheets will be posted on the Inglis Building Mezzanine Floor by 9am on Wednesday of Week 0.
Sediment transport
Learning objectives:
- To gain first-hand experience of open channel flow and sediment transport phenomena.
- To study the threshold condition under which sediments are moved. This condition separates the state of the clear-water flow over an immobile bed from the state where sediment transport and bed deformation take place.
- To investigate the relationship between the bed forms and the flow conditions. This is important because the bed forms have a significant impact on the bed roughness and thus the channel conveyance.
- To appreciate the local scour phenomena around underwater structures.
Practical information:
- Sessions will take place in Room ISG-86 (Inglis Building Ground Floor, Centre for Smart Infrastructure & Construction).
- This activity doesn't involve preliminary work, but it will be beneficial to read the handouts beforehand.
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report.
Booklists
Please see the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references for this module.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
GT1
Develop transferable skills that will be of value in a wide range of situations. These are exemplified by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Higher Level Key Skills and include problem solving, communication, and working with others, as well as the effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills. They also include planning self-learning and improving performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD.
IA1
Apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems.
KU1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of their engineering discipline, and its underpinning science and mathematics.
KU2
Have an appreciation of the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles.
D1
Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.
S1
The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.
S3
Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development.
S4
Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
E1
Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.
E2
Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools when appropriate.
E3
Ability to apply mathematical and computer based models for solving problems in engineering, and the ability to assess the limitations of particular cases.
P1
A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations and some appreciation of likely new developments.
P3
Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc).
US1
A comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles of own specialisation and related disciplines.
US3
An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering projects.
Last modified: 27/10/2019 12:43
Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D5: Water Engineering, 2018-19
Module Leader
Lecturers
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Michaelmas term. 16 lectures and coursework.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Explain some fundamental principles necessary for understanding the common water issues in the world.
- Cover the basic topics in practical hydrology, civil engineering hydraulics, turbulent mixing, and water/waste water treatments.
- Allow students to grasp essential concepts and procedures for analysing hydro-environmental processes and develop skills to solve practical water engineering problems.
- Highlight some of the most pressing water-related global challenges, such as freshwater scarcity, soil erosion, water quality deterioration and flooding, and stress the need for sustainable and integrated management of water resources.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Comprehend the scope of water-related topics in civil and environmental engineering
- Appreciate the environmental, social, political and economical implications of water engineering
- Understand the hydrologic cycle and the Earth’s water budget
- Understand simple models of infiltration
- Undertake simple rainfall-runoff calculations over small catchments
- Understand river hydraulics.
- Be aware of a wide range of hydro-environmental issues
- Understand the advective, diffusive, dispersive and reactive processes related to pollutant transports in uniform flows
- Evaluate the impact of large hydraulic engineering projects
- Solve steady flows using the equations of mass, energy and momentum conservations
- Analyse unsteady flows using the method of characteristics.
- Explain the cause of soil erosion and mitigation measures.
- Understand the mechanism of sand particle motion.
- Calculate the sediment transport rate and determine the bed regime.
- Select pipeline systems for water conveyance
- Make appropriate pump selections and design simple pumping systems
- Be aware of the principles and elements of water/wastewater treatments and the key engineering variables for their design
- Notice the limitations of the traditional water supply and sewage treatment systems in a sustainability context
Content
Hydrology (3L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 1-2 (Prof F. A. McRobie)
- Global water issues
- Hydrologic cycle
- Unit hydrographs
Open Channel Flows, Pollutant and Sediment Transports (12L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 2-8 (Dr D. Liang)
- Boundary layer and turbulence
- Flow resistance
- Steady flow in pipelines
- Water pollution
- Steady flow in open channels
- Pollutant advection,diffusion,dispersion and reaction
- Unsteady flow,flood routing and method of characteristics
- Sediment transport and bed form
- Pipeline systems
- Pumping systems
Water/Waste Treatments (1L) 2 lectures/week,week 8 (Prof F. A. McRobie)
- Water treatment
- Wastewater treatment
Coursework
Sign up sheets and handouts will be available on the Inglis Building Mezzanine Floor at the start of the Term.
Sediment transport
Learning objectives:
- To gain first-hand experience of open channel flow and sediment transport phenomena.
- To study the threshold condition under which sediments are moved. This condition separates the state of the clear-water flow over an immobile bed from the state where sediment transport and bed deformation take place.
- To investigate the relationship between the bed forms and the flow conditions. This is important because the bed forms have a significant impact on the bed roughness and thus the channel conveyance.
- To appreciate the local scour phenomena around underwater structures.
Practical information:
- Sessions will take place in Room ISG-86 (Inglis Building Ground Floor, Centre for Smart Infrastructure & Construction).
- This activity doesn't involve preliminary work, but it will be beneficial to read the handouts beforehand.
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report.
Booklists
Please see the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references for this module.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
GT1
Develop transferable skills that will be of value in a wide range of situations. These are exemplified by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Higher Level Key Skills and include problem solving, communication, and working with others, as well as the effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills. They also include planning self-learning and improving performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD.
IA1
Apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems.
KU1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of their engineering discipline, and its underpinning science and mathematics.
KU2
Have an appreciation of the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles.
D1
Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.
S1
The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.
S3
Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development.
S4
Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
E1
Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.
E2
Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools when appropriate.
E3
Ability to apply mathematical and computer based models for solving problems in engineering, and the ability to assess the limitations of particular cases.
P1
A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations and some appreciation of likely new developments.
P3
Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc).
US1
A comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles of own specialisation and related disciplines.
US3
An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering projects.
Last modified: 03/08/2018 14:48
Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D5: Water Engineering, 2017-18
Module Leader
Lecturers
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Michaelmas term. 16 lectures and coursework.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Explain some fundamental principles necessary for understanding the common water issues in the world.
- Cover the basic topics in practical hydrology, civil engineering hydraulics, turbulent mixing, and water/waste water treatments.
- Allow students to grasp essential concepts and procedures for analysing hydro-environmental processes and develop skills to solve practical water engineering problems.
- Highlight some of the most pressing water-related global challenges, such as freshwater scarcity, soil erosion, water quality deterioration and flooding, and stress the need for sustainable and integrated management of water resources.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Comprehend the scope of water-related topics in civil and environmental engineering
- Appreciate the environmental, social, political and economical implications of water engineering
- Understand the hydrologic cycle and the Earth’s water budget
- Understand simple models of infiltration
- Undertake simple rainfall-runoff calculations over small catchments
- Understand river hydraulics.
- Be aware of a wide range of hydro-environmental issues
- Understand the advective, diffusive, dispersive and reactive processes related to pollutant transports in uniform flows
- Evaluate the impact of large hydraulic engineering projects
- Solve steady flows using the equations of mass, energy and momentum conservations
- Analyse unsteady flows using the method of characteristics.
- Explain the cause of soil erosion and mitigation measures.
- Understand the mechanism of sand particle motion.
- Calculate the sediment transport rate and determine the bed regime.
- Select pipeline systems for water conveyance
- Make appropriate pump selections and design simple pumping systems
- Be aware of the principles and elements of water/wastewater treatments and the key engineering variables for their design
- Notice the limitations of the traditional water supply and sewage treatment systems in a sustainability context
Content
Hydrology (3L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 1-2 (Dr F. A. McRobie)
- Global water issues
- Hydrologic cycle
- Unit hydrographs
Open Channel Flows, Pollutant and Sediment Transports (12L) 2 lectures/week, weeks 2-8 (Dr D. Liang)
- Boundary layer and turbulence
- Flow resistance
- Steady flow in pipelines
- Water pollution
- Steady flow in open channels
- Pollutant advection,diffusion,dispersion and reaction
- Unsteady flow,flood routing and method of characteristics
- Sediment transport and bed form
- Pipeline systems
- Pumping systems
Water/Waste Treatments (1L) 2 lectures/week,week 8 (Dr F. A. McRobie)
- Water treatment
- Wastewater treatment
Coursework
Sign up sheets and handouts will be available on the Inglis Building Mezzanine Floor at the start of the Term.
Sediment transport
Learning objectives:
- To gain first-hand experience of open channel flow and sediment transport phenomena.
- To study the threshold condition under which sediments are moved. This condition separates the state of the clear-water flow over an immobile bed from the state where sediment transport and bed deformation take place.
- To investigate the relationship between the bed forms and the flow conditions. This is important because the bed forms have a significant impact on the bed roughness and thus the channel conveyance.
- To appreciate the local scour phenomena around underwater structures.
Practical information:
- Sessions will take place in Room ISG-86 (Inglis Building Ground Floor, Centre for Smart Infrastructure & Construction).
- This activity doesn't involve preliminary work, but it will be beneficial to read the handouts beforehand.
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report.
Booklists
Please see the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references for this module.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
UK-SPEC
This syllabus contributes to the following areas of the UK-SPEC standard:
Toggle display of UK-SPEC areas.
GT1
Develop transferable skills that will be of value in a wide range of situations. These are exemplified by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority Higher Level Key Skills and include problem solving, communication, and working with others, as well as the effective use of general IT facilities and information retrieval skills. They also include planning self-learning and improving performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD.
IA1
Apply appropriate quantitative science and engineering tools to the analysis of problems.
KU1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of essential facts, concepts, theories and principles of their engineering discipline, and its underpinning science and mathematics.
KU2
Have an appreciation of the wider multidisciplinary engineering context and its underlying principles.
D1
Wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.
S1
The ability to make general evaluations of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks.
S3
Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development.
S4
Awareness of the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
E1
Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies.
E2
Ability to extract data pertinent to an unfamiliar problem, and apply its solution using computer based engineering tools when appropriate.
E3
Ability to apply mathematical and computer based models for solving problems in engineering, and the ability to assess the limitations of particular cases.
P1
A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations and some appreciation of likely new developments.
P3
Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc).
US1
A comprehensive understanding of the scientific principles of own specialisation and related disciplines.
US3
An understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to apply them effectively in engineering projects.
Last modified: 28/09/2017 13:10
Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D4: Structural Analysis & Stability, 2025-26
Module Leader
Lecturers
Prof S Guest, Prof K Seffen
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Lent term. 16 lectures.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Provide students with an understanding of elastic methods of structural analysis.
- Ensure students recognise that stability and failure of structures by buckling is a key part of understanding structural behaviour.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Understand and compute the biaxial bending stress distribution in asymmetric sections.
- Calculate the section properties of complex sections with different techniques.
- Determine the shear stress distribution and shear centre in asymmetric sections.
- Understand and determine the torsional stresses in thin-walled open cross-sections.
- Analyse statically determinate and indeterminate space frames.
- Understand the application of virtual work principles.
- Explain the reciprocal theorem and the importance of influence lines.
- Understand and apply the displacement method.
- Recognise the shortcomings of the structural analysis learnt in Part I and appreciate the need to include stability in a complete theory of structures.
- Draw stable and unstable paths on a load/displacement diagram for bifurcation and snap through.
- Understand how elastic stability may be determined from the total potential energy and described by the eigenvalues of the stiffness matrix.
- Determine elastic critical loads for simple structures by eigenvalue analysis, whilst appreciating the importance of imperfection sensitivity.
- Apply approximation methods based on energy to determine the stability of simple systems.
- Understand second-order beam theory, using s and c functions.
- Understand how the tangent modulus and double modulus theories of inelastic buckling led to the column paradox, and how this was resolved.
- Understand the importance of lateral-torsional buckling of beams.
Content
There are two themes in this module: elastic analysis & stability and buckling of structures. Each section leads on from and extends a corresponding section of the first or second year courses in Structures.
In the first, the course aims are to extend the elastic analysis of beams to cover asymmetric sections in bending, to revise the determination of shear stresses, to consider the torsion of thin-walled open sections and to introduce the concept of shear centre. After that, the course will introduce the analysis of beams via differential equations and the reciprocal theorem, which will lead to the study of influence lines. The course will also cover the displacement method of structural analysis and some new applications of virtual work and curved beams.
In the second, the course aims are to understand the fundamental principles of structural stability, to become familiar with common types of bifurcation and buckling phenomena and to formulate methods capable of dealing with geometrically non-linear structural behaviour. Once the general concept of stiffness degradation and the various post-buckling possibilities are understood, the course addresses the specific problem of column and beam design, taking account of initial imperfections, coexistent end-moments, residual stresses and material inelasticity.
Elastic Theory (8L) (Prof Simon Guest)
- Asymmetric beams; principal axes
- Bending and shear stress distribution in asymmetric sections
- Torsion and warping of thin-walled open sections
- Analysis of space frames
- Virtual work
- Reciprocal theorem and influence lines
- Displacement method
Stability and Buckling (8L) (Prof Keith Seffen)
- Fundamentals of buckling and stability: total potential energy approach and direct equilibrium approach
- Classification of instabilities into snap-through tpe and bifurcation type
- Eigenvalues and eigenvectors of stiffness matrix
- Buckling of elastic structures; approximate estimates of buckling load; Rayleigh quotient
- Lateral buckling of columns: Euler strut, imperfections, Southwell plot, beam-columns, stability coefficients, buckling of frames
- Elasto-plastic buckling: tangent-modulus, double-modulus, Shanley's analysis
- Design of columns
- Lateral-torsional buckling of beams
Coursework
Buckling Elastic and Inelastic
Learning objectives:
- Understand the difference between stable and unstable buckling.
- Appreciate the circumstances in which a "classical" buckling calculation gives a useful estimate of the buckling strength of a structure, and those in which it does not.
- Be able to cite examples of structures for which the buckling load is both significantly less than the prediction of "classical" theory, and the postbuckling behaviour is highly unstable.
- Be aware of the "classical" buckling formulae for bars (including the "tangent-modulus" formula), simple plates and cylindrical shells.
Practical information:
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report.
Booklists
Please refer to the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references to this module, this can be found on the associated Moodle course.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
Last modified: 18/12/2025 15:07
Engineering Tripos Part IIA, 3D4: Structural Analysis & Stability, 2024-25
Module Leader
Lecturers
Prof F Cirak, Prof K Seffen
Lab Leader
Timing and Structure
Lent term. 16 lectures.
Aims
The aims of the course are to:
- Provide students with an understanding of elastic methods of structural analysis.
- Ensure students recognise that stability and failure of structures by buckling is a key part of understanding structural behaviour.
Objectives
As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:
- Understand and compute the biaxial bending stress distribution in asymmetric sections.
- Calculate the section properties of complex sections with different techniques.
- Determine the shear stress distribution and shear centre in asymmetric sections.
- Understand and determine the torsional stresses in thin-walled open cross-sections.
- Analyse statically determinate and indeterminate space frames.
- Understand the application of virtual work principles.
- Explain the reciprocal theorem and the importance of influence lines.
- Understand and apply the displacement method.
- Recognise the shortcomings of the structural analysis learnt in Part I and appreciate the need to include stability in a complete theory of structures.
- Draw stable and unstable paths on a load/displacement diagram for bifurcation and snap through.
- Understand how elastic stability may be determined from the total potential energy and described by the eigenvalues of the stiffness matrix.
- Determine elastic critical loads for simple structures by eigenvalue analysis, whilst appreciating the importance of imperfection sensitivity.
- Apply approximation methods based on energy to determine the stability of simple systems.
- Understand second-order beam theory, using s and c functions.
- Understand how the tangent modulus and double modulus theories of inelastic buckling led to the column paradox, and how this was resolved.
- Understand the importance of lateral-torsional buckling of beams.
Content
There are two themes in this module: elastic analysis & stability and buckling of structures. Each section leads on from and extends a corresponding section of the first or second year courses in Structures.
In the first, the course aims are to extend the elastic analysis of beams to cover asymmetric sections in bending, to revise the determination of shear stresses, to consider the torsion of thin-walled open sections and to introduce the concept of shear centre. After that, the course will introduce the analysis of beams via differential equations and the reciprocal theorem, which will lead to the study of influence lines. The course will also cover the displacement method of structural analysis and some new applications of virtual work and curved beams.
In the second, the course aims are to understand the fundamental principles of structural stability, to become familiar with common types of bifurcation and buckling phenomena and to formulate methods capable of dealing with geometrically non-linear structural behaviour. Once the general concept of stiffness degradation and the various post-buckling possibilities are understood, the course addresses the specific problem of column and beam design, taking account of initial imperfections, coexistent end-moments, residual stresses and material inelasticity.
Elastic Theory (8L) (Prof F Cirak)
- Asymmetric beams; principal axes
- Bending and shear stress distribution in asymmetric sections
- Torsion and warping of thin-walled open sections
- Analysis of space frames
- Virtual work
- Reciprocal theorem and influence lines
- Displacement method
Stability and Buckling (8L) (Prof K Seffen)
- Fundamentals of buckling and stability: total potential energy approach and direct equilibrium approach
- Classification of instabilities into snap-through tpe and bifurcation type
- Eigenvalues and eigenvectors of stiffness matrix
- Buckling of elastic structures; approximate estimates of buckling load; Rayleigh quotient
- Lateral buckling of columns: Euler strut, imperfections, Southwell plot, beam-columns, stability coefficients, buckling of frames
- Elasto-plastic buckling: tangent-modulus, double-modulus, Shanley's analysis
- Design of columns
- Lateral-torsional buckling of beams
Coursework
Buckling Elastic and Inelastic
Learning objectives:
- Understand the difference between stable and unstable buckling.
- Appreciate the circumstances in which a "classical" buckling calculation gives a useful estimate of the buckling strength of a structure, and those in which it does not.
- Be able to cite examples of structures for which the buckling load is both significantly less than the prediction of "classical" theory, and the postbuckling behaviour is highly unstable.
- Be aware of the "classical" buckling formulae for bars (including the "tangent-modulus" formula), simple plates and cylindrical shells.
Practical information:
Full Technical Report:
Students will have the option to submit a Full Technical Report.
Booklists
Please refer to the Booklist for Part IIA Courses for references to this module, this can be found on the associated Moodle course.
Examination Guidelines
Please refer to Form & conduct of the examinations.
Last modified: 22/01/2025 08:29
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