SDG Detail

CIVIL 727 : Dynamics of Structures in Earthquakes

Postgraduate course

Project description

The course addresses the dynamics of structures, the fundamentals of earthquake engineering and the influence of earthquakes on structures. The course focuses on the dynamic properties of structures, i.e., natural frequencies and vibration modes, the characteristics of the earthquake load, i.e., frequency content, direction and duration of loading, and the relationship between these loadings and structural properties. Several numerical approaches to analyse structural responses under dynamic loads will be introduced. The role of the ductility and damping of structures and isolation measures to mitigate the impact of earthquakes will be discussed. The understanding developed will enable a reliable design of structures under seismic loads. This course consists of weekly lectures and tutorials, two lab activities, research assignments and tests. In addition, you will be expected to learn through additional reading, problem solving, and other work outside of formal contact hours. The course requires students to familiarize themselves with basic mathematics and the stiffness of structures. The course is supported by published texts.

Year 2022

Location New Zealand

Organization University of Auckland

Project aims

Project outcome

By the end of this course, students will be able to: Understand the principles of structural dynamics and the fundamentals of earthquake engineering, and the geophysical background to seismic ground motion (Capability 1, 2 and 3) Understand the origin and nature of seismic ground motion (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 6) Construct and use response spectra, to formulate and solve the equations of motion for simple MDOF systems to obtain natural frequencies and modes (Capability 1, 2 and 3) Conduct dynamic analyses of simple MDOF systems using modal superposition, spectral modal analysis and equivalent static force methods (Capability 1, 2 and 3) Conduct an individual research project to develop the understanding of the fundamentals of earthquake engineering (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)