1. Home
2. Faculty of Engineering

ES532 MATHEMATICAL THEORY OF PLASTICITY

Course Objectives

To develop a rational framework for the design of engineered steel structures using the concept of plasticity. The material presented in this course, while independent of any structural engineering code, will allow an understanding of the fundamental behavior at the root of all modern codes and standards.  Emphasis is to be placed on plastic design concepts and strategies pertinent to steel structures, but the methods presented can be applied to other types of systems with certain modifications.  

A broader understanding of the plastic behavior of steel structures as systems, in opposition to individual elements, is to be achieved through this course.  This is not only of an uppermost importance in failure investigation projects or in evaluation of existing structures, but the advanced concepts presented herein are at the root of earthquake engineering, structural modeling for computer programs, material non-linearity, moment redistribution and ultimate collapse mechanisms.

Course Content

Physical background. Idealizations, yield criteria. Plastic-stress strain relations. Two measures of work-hardening. Extremum principles, the plastic potential and uniqueness. Elasto-plastic problems. Plane stress and plane strain (theory of slip-line field with some applications). Geometric effects. Plastic anisotropy.

Course Learning Outcomes

Taking this course will enable students

understand  the fundamental behavior of steel structures beyopnd their elastic limit,

evaluate the plastic capacity of steel beams and frames, 

perform failure analyses of structures based on the princeples of plasticity,

enderstand progressive collapse of structures

Program Outcomes Matrix