Structural Engineering with Materials MSc

This module provides an understanding of the fundamental principles of structural elements design, according to Eurocodes. It covers advanced aspects of structural engineering design of box beams for long-span bridges, steel-concrete composite beams, and structural elements for bridges and buildings.

The module intends to provide best practice requirements for the fire-resistance design of structures. A review of case studies where movements (dimensional variations) caused severe cracking or failure will be investigated.

The module aim is to provide a background in the design of structures and an understanding on advanced topics in the subject with the use of new concepts, construction techniques and materials.

The module will be delivered via lectures and seminars, and assessed via coursework and an exam.

The aim of this module is to manage and produce an extended piece of work, which draws upon extensive and deep knowledge of primary and secondary source material, to investigate a complex problem.

You will define an appropriate project scope and review a selection of published works, pertinent to your investigation. Using a methodology that you have proposed, you will collect primary data, and secondary data, analysing the results and interpreting numerical outputs, to derive meaning from the data and draw appropriate conclusions. The output will be a substantial dissertation based upon your investigation, which will presented in writing.

The chosen topic should aim to integrate your learn, show well-developed research skills, show your ability to analyse and evaluate, and bring your own perspective to an unfamiliar and complex problem.

This module will be primarily self-directed, supported by a series of lectures and seminars relating to research methods, and one-to-one tutorials with your project/dissertation supervisor.

This module evaluates some contemporary themes in structural engineering, including railway track systems, earthquake engineering, structural forms and structural optimisation. It aims to:

• Provide advanced understanding of highly specialised areas within structural engineering, such as track systems and structural forms.
• Optimise the design of structures using seismic analysis.
• Develop the skills to select and use relevant computer programmes for solving problems related to specialised topics in structural engineering.
• Develop the skills to apply various design codes and an ability to establish and evaluate them critically.

This module will be delivered via lectures, seminars and computer labs, and assessed via coursework, including a report and oral presentation.

This module gives an introduction to the more specialised topics within structural analysis and the design field, including the stiffness method, plastic analysis, plate analysis and dynamic analysis of structures. It aims to:

• Provide the necessary tools for carrying out more refined structural analysis.
• Develop your ability to apply pertinent engineering concepts and mathematical knowledge for modelling structural systems.
• Develop a better understanding of the behaviour and performance of more complex structural systems.
• Develop skills to use structural analysis software for solving problems, and comparing the results with manual calculations.

This module will be delivered via lectures, seminars, computer labs and workshops, and assessed via coursework and an exam.

In this module, you will evaluate the Finite Element Method (FEM) for its application to obtain an approximate solution, for the analysis of complex structural problems. You will be introduced to the theory behind FEM, how to derive the governing differential equations, and how to apply the method in sample structural problems. You will be introduced to proprietary FEM software - a leading engineering analysis tool that uses a comprehensive element technology, extensive library of material models and advanced post-processing capability.

The aim of the module is to provide you with the intellectual tools necessary to use proprietary FEM software, enabling you to produce computer models of various complex structural problems in order to obtain approximate numerical solutions.

You will learn how to use the advanced post-processing capability of the software to produce reports. As part of the module, you will be required to produce solutions for two small projects, which will be assessed for your ability to apply, refine and develop computer models to solve structural problems, and to generate reports supported with the appropriate graphs and data.

This module will be delivered via lectures, seminars and computer labs, and assessed via coursework.

This module engages the student with advanced study of the principles, analysis and design aspects relating to the design of infrastructure such as roads, airfields, ports and industrial ground floors.

You will learn to:

• Critically appraise the fundamental scientific and engineering principles of infrastructure design.
• Appraise and contrast conflicting theories that underpin the application of design techniques.
• Make judgements based on skills and knowledge to apply various design codes and be able to evaluate them critically.
• Evaluate alternative design strategies and be able to critically select an appropriate design strategy in accordance with design requirements.

This module examines main concepts, theories and principles for explaining the mechanical behaviour of materials under various states of stress and strain conditions.

The module aims to:

• Provide in-depth understanding of the major principles used in evaluating the response of construction materials to stresses and deformation.
• Develop advanced knowledge relating to the constitutive laws governing the behaviour of the material subject to elastic and plastic deformation, due to various types of loading.
• Develop the ability to interpret how and why materials fail, based on technical argument of the theories of material failure.
• Develop the skills to interrelate the theoretical and experimental results.

This module will be delivered via lectures, seminars, computer labs and experimental labs, and assessed via coursework and an exam.

The aim of this module is to evaluate knowledge about the behaviour and performance of more specialised construction materials, including composites, as applied to structures built from diverse materials.

You will learn about the characteristics and durability of various advanced construction materials, ranging from fibre-reinforced concrete, to reinforced plastics and advanced paving materials. You will be able to assess how, by using various advanced construction materials in a range of structures, you can affect strength/weight ratio, durability and safety of structures. You will learn how fibre-reinforced materials can be used for the rehabilitation of civil engineering structures.

In a set of two experimental labs, you will be able to assess the behaviour and performance of samples of advanced materials, and report on how the application of these materials will affect design, durability and safety of structures.

This module will be delivered via lectures, seminars and an experimental lab, and assessed via coursework and an exam.

This module focuses on condition assessment and the monitoring of civil infrastructure. You'll be introduced to current methods of structural condition assessment, advances and developments in sensing technologies, technical aspects of structural health monitoring and structural identification.

This module delivers:

• The motivation for, and integration of, conditional assessment and structural health monitoring in civil infrastructure.
• In-depth theoretical fundamentals, problems and challenges which an engineer has to tackle when assessing and monitoring civil infrastructure.
• Advances in, and applications of, sensing technologies and data management tools.
• Fundamentals of structural identification.
• Applications of information technology to generate numerical replicas of physical structures, which are employed to assess their performance.
• Algorithmic signal processing approaches, which are used to interpret measurements obtained from monitoring projects.

This module will be delivered via lectures, seminars computer labs and workshops, and assessed via coursework.